Customer Reviews

Le Corbusier: And the Continual Revolution in Architecture

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Jencks gives us a well-researched biography of Le Corbusier, but unfortunately he does not give the reader enough on Le Corbusier's art. While the insights into Le Corbusier's life are intriguing, we are only given a cursory look at his buildings and paintings themselves with little analysis beyond the typical Jencks "multivalence" routine. It is an excellent biography, but I was shopping more for a detailed look at Le Corbusier's work itself so I was a bit disappointed in the end.

Jencks third work on LC is an expanded and revised take since his first 'tragic view of architecture'. The author makes his point well and the change of focus over the two books - a tragic view/ a continual revolution is a shift in Jencks focus on LC. The continual revolution can be seen to be light on pictures however it is not so much a primary LC text but rather a supplementary viewpoint - as such it is appropriately illustrated. Although Jencks covers the ideas of the tragic view in this edition it is worth also reading the original, where the younger author takes a more ardent stance - taking a tragic line from beginning to end. Jencks books are more than biographical studies of common LC history they follow a consistent objective course to a well directed conclusion. Though in this case there are revolutions (repetition) in information, relative to LC and the stance taken in this book; appropriately so.