Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms [Paperback]

William J.R. Curtis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0714827908 | ISBN-13: 978-0714827902 | Publication Date: January 1, 1994 | Edition: New edition

Le Corbusier (1887 -- 1965) has been one of the dominant forces in twentieth-century architecture, and many of the forms he created have become archetypes of Modernism. He was also a social visionary and a writer of polemics, whose ideas have generated intense and partisan controversy. This highly acclaimed book provides a comprehensive and objective survey that puts Le Corbusier's career in a more balanced perspective. Making full use of the Le Corbusier archive, the author documents individual projects in detail while linking the imaginative activities of the artist to his philosophy of life, to his urban visions, to his art and to the cultural predicaments of his times.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This thorough review of Le Corbusier (1887-1965), an inescapable force in 20th-century architecture, draws on masses of documentation now available and on a close viewing of the buildings themselves. Curtis has published several works on the architect, and this is a largely successful overview of the entire oeuvre , linking Le Corbusier's ideas and philosophy to the buildings. It is a carefully considered book, based on extensive thought and study of the vast documentation, addressed to the advanced student of modernism. Though the text at times is dense, the structure of the book is very clear and the design and layout are thoughtful and sympathetic. Highly recommended. Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; New edition edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714827908
• ISBN-13: 978-0714827902
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #646,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit chaotic, poor photos, few bldg plans & sections, May 17, 2010

By 

Eugene Tenenbaum "reluctant reader" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms (Paperback)

The book is a bit chaotic blend of many aspects and circumstances from different periods poorly supported by a few hard line building plans and sections mixed with photos sometimes casual, mostly in black & white, often not very informative close-ups. Many significant designes are not included or scantly depicted. The illustrative part does not match the textual.
CONTENTS
PREFACE 7
INTRODUCTION Notes on Invention 11
PART I THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF CHARLES EDOUARD JEANNERET 1887-1922
1 The Home Base 16
2 In Search of Personal Principles 26
3 A Classicism for the Jura 37
4 Paris, Purism and `L'Esprit Nouveau' 48
PART II ARCHITECTURAL IDEALS AND SOCIAL REALITIES 1922-1944
5 Defining Types for the New Industrial City 60
6 Houses, Studios and Villas 71
7 Machine-Age Palaces and Public Institutions 85
8 Villa Savoye, Cite de Refuge, Pavilion Suisse 93
9 Regionalism and Reassessment in the 1930s 108
10 Politics, Urbanism and Travels 1929-1944 118
PART III THE ANCIENT SENSE: LATE WORKS 1945-1965
11 The Modulor, Marseilles and the Mediterranean Myth 162
12 Sacral Forms, Ancient Associations 175
13 Le Corbusier in India: The Symbolism of Chandigarh 188
14 The Merchants of Ahmedabad 202
15 Retrospection and Invention: Final Projects 213
CONCLUSION Le Corbusier: Principles and Transformations 223
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND NOTES 230
INDEX 237

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book, March 27, 2008

By 

Trent Sneddon (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms (Paperback)

This book really gives you an insight into one of Architecture's greats. I bought it to get a general idea of Corb's work, not because it fascinated me, but, as an architecture graduate, because I thought I should. This book opened Corb's work to me.

It gives a chronological view of the man's life and work. It features great photos and drawings of his most important works, and some of his less well known ones too. The writing is done so well, giving an insight into Corb's theories and explaining how and why each project came about.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in architecture who wants to know a bit more about the history of 20th century design, and the impact that Le Corbusier had.