Synopses & Reviews
No other architect since Palladio has exercised such an immense influence as Le Corbusier. As with Einstein and Picasso, Le Corbusier made an impact that was felt within but also outside his special discipline. Through numerous buildings, urban projects, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and publications, he succeeded to develop a unique poetics of
machine and
metaphor, revolutionizing the way people see, use, and make architecture. More than a modern architect, Le Corbusier was the
architect of
modern life.
The present monograph discusses Le Corbusier's oeuvre in a concise global manner in relation to the revolutionary developments of the century in which it was born. It shows how Le Corbusier worked within the context of new philosophical ideas; the avant-garde culture; the social, economic, and political movements; and new technology, achieving more than a delicate balance-- a synthesis. But it demonstrates also that Le Corbusier was a creator who conceived, enticed, and shaped many of these developments. As well as being the architect of the twentieth century, Le Corbusier is a prototype of human creativity.
Synopsis
A new addition to a series acclaimed for its exceptional authority, Le Corbusier presents the master architect's oeuvre in relation to the revolutionary global developments of the twentieth century. Written by Alexander Tzonis, perhaps the world's leading expert on Le Corbusier and his work, the book demonstrates how Le Corbusier came to create the groundbreaking ideas, buildings, and designs that would change the course of twentieth-century architecture. No other architect since Palladio exercised such an immense influence on architects and the practice of architecture as Le Corbusier did. Through buildings, urban projects, paintings, sculptures, drawings, furniture designs, and publications, he developed a unique poetics of machine and metaphor, revolutionizing the way people see, use, and make architecture. More than a modern architect, Le Corbusier was an architect of modern life.
About the Author
Alexander Tzonis holds the chair in Architectural Theory and Design Methods at the University of Technology of Delft and is director of DKS (Design Knowledge Systems), a multidisciplinary research center in architectural cognition. As the general editor of the Garland Architectural Archives, he published the complete archives of Le Corbusier in thirty-two volumes. Among his numerous publications is
Santiago Calatrava: The Poetics of Movement, another volume in Universe's architecture series.