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)
My work is my life. I have no other.
The machine age has brought us new possibilities, new forms, new aesthetics.
I am a man of my time, and I build for my time.
The city must breathe. It must have green spaces, light, and air.
I believe in the power of beauty to transform lives.
Architecture is a social art. It must serve the community.
The past is a lesson, not a prison.
The essential is always simple.
I am a revolutionary, but I am also a traditionalist.
The greatest challenge is to create something new, something that has never been seen before.
The human scale is the only true measure.
My dearest Yvonne, you are my inspiration, my muse.
The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.
Architecture is a language. It speaks to us.
I strive for clarity, for precision, for order.
The city is a living organism. It must evolve.
To build is to think.
The beauty of a building lies in its truthfulness.
I am a seeker of harmony.
The architect's task is to bring order out of chaos.
Contemporaries of Le Corbusier
Other Architectures born within 50 years of Le Corbusier (1887–1965).