Le Corbusier
Pioneer of modern architecture
Most quoted
"The architect, by his arrangement of forms, realizes an order which is a pure creation of his spirit; by forms and shapes he affects our senses to produce plastic emotions; by the relationships which he creates, he awakens in us profound echoes, he gives us the measure of an order which we feel to be in accordance with that of our world, he determines the various movements of our heart and of our understanding; it is then that we experience the sense of beauty."
— from Towards a New Architecture, 1923
"Architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. Our eyes are made to see forms in light; light and shade reveal these forms; cubes, cones, spheres, cylinders, or pyramids are the great primary forms which light reveals to advantage; the image of these is distinct and without ambiguity. It is for this reason that these are beautiful forms, the most beautiful forms."
— from Towards a New Architecture, 1923
"Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. Our eyes are made to see forms in light; light and shade reveal these forms; cubes, cones, spheres, cylinders or pyramids are the great primary forms which light reveals to advantage; the image of these is distinct and without ambiguity. It is for this reason that these are beautiful forms, the most beautiful forms."
— from Towards a New Architecture, 1923
All quotes by Le Corbusier (365)
The past is dead. Long live the future!
The architect is a poet who thinks in construction.
The city must be a place of order and clarity.
The dwelling must be a place of peace and tranquility.
The dwelling must be a machine for living, but a beautiful machine.
The city must be a place of efficiency and productivity.
The architect must be a social reformer.
The dwelling must be a place of health and hygiene.
The dwelling must be a place of light and air.
The architect must be a philosopher.
The dwelling must be a place of comfort and convenience.
The city must be a place of freedom and equality.
The architect must be a revolutionary.
The dwelling must be a place of simplicity and elegance.
The city must be a place of joy and happiness.
The dwelling must be a place of order and discipline.
The city must be a place of culture and art.
The architect must be a scientist.
The dwelling must be a place of silence and contemplation.
The city must be a place of peace and security.
Contemporaries of Le Corbusier
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Le Corbusier (1887–1965).