In this lesson, we'll explore the different artistic sides of the famous Swiss architect Le

Corbusier. Learn about the paintings, sculptures and furniture pieces he created and also
discover some of the artistic photographs he took.

Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier is mostly known for being an influential architect of the 20th century. He is
remembered for creating many iconic buildings in Europe, Asia and North America and he is
also known as a writer of several books about architecture and urban planning. However, Le
Corbusier was much more than an architect.

There are many other areas that this talented Swiss artist explored that are unknown to many,
probably because of his huge importance in architecture. Le Corbusier created objects of
diverse visual arts, like painting and sculpture, and designed several pieces of furniture. He
even explored artistic areas like glass decoration and tapestry.

Still Life, 1920

Paintings
Le Corbusier's paintings started shortly after he moved to Paris in 1917. The following year,
he met Amédée Ozenfant, a French painter related to the cubist movement in art. Pablo
Picasso was a pioneer of that artistic trend, based on geometrized figures, almost to the point
of becoming abstract objects.

Until 1920, Le Corbusier used his birth name Charles-Edouard Jeanneret but decided to adopt
his famous pseudonym that year in a search for reinventing himself.

Le Corbusier and Ozenfant together defined a new movement in art, which they called
purism and also established L'Esprit Nouveau (The New Spirit), an art magazine published
from 1920 until 1925 that they used to promote their art. Purist art was an interpretation of
cubism and stated that art admitted all deformations of the objects and consisted on the
conception of pure elements. Purism also believed that the search for nature shouldn't mean
copying it.

During the years of L'Esprit Nouveau, most of Le Corbusier's paintings followed the ideas of
purism. The motifs were usually still lives (artistic compositions of different inanimate
objects like flowers, food, and man-made objects) and representations of single inanimate
objects. He painted ordinary objects disposed of ornaments in what he considered their purest
form and commonly used oil on canvas for his work.

Still Life, 1920

In the late 1920's, Le Corbusier's work started to become more abstract. The objects began to
be vaguely defined by sinuous and organic lines. His later paintings represented figurative
elements somewhat isolated in a much more abstract context. The use of contrasting and
complementing colors also became more common in his late work.

Photographs
Le Corbusier once admitted to a journalist that he didn't believe in cameras and even stated
that photographs were an instrument for the idle. However, he did appreciate the virtues of
photography and took many pictures throughout his life, especially during the times he
traveled. He took thousands of still shots and films, many of which he never developed.

A large set of early photographs were from Le Corbusier's trip to Greece and Turkey in 1911.
His shots were focused on different architectonic details of buildings rather than on
capturing the monumental famous landmarks. Many of his pictures showed large white walls
and unornamented facades. In later years, he immortalized his predilection for those plain
white facades on his writings about architecture and in some of his architectural works.

Later during his life, his photographs focused less on architecture and more on common
objects and events of the everyday life. He took many shots of his mother, wife and dog and
even some of himself naked. He also showed a great interest in the shapes of vegetation and
on different rocks, wood and footprints on the sand of the beaches.

Furniture, Sculpture, and Other Arts

Le Corbusier started working in the design of furniture in the late 1920's. He first wrote
about what he believed furniture should be like and then created some designs. He stated that
household items should be created with affordable materials and should be easily produced in
mass; he also criticized the use of large sofas. His pieces were created in collaboration with
his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, and the French designer, Charlotte Perriand.

Some of his most famous designs were produced for an exhibition in Paris in 1929. They
consisted of a tubular steel structure covered in chrome finish, an innovative material back
then, and the seats were either made of natural cow skin or black leather. Le Corbusier's
furniture exposed his interest in human proportions and was carefully designed to be
comfortable while keeping a geometric purity. Some of his furniture pieces are still
considered modern and continue to be sold.

Chair B301, by Le Corbusier and Jeanneret, 1928

In the years following World War II, Le Corbusier became very interested in sculpture. His
work often focused on small decorative pieces made out of wood and the motifs were abstract
pieces and vaguely defined figurative forms. The sculptures kept a strong resemblance to his
paintings.

He also created larger pieces, often to complement his architectural projects. One common
motif was the Open Hand. It is considered a symbol of peace and consisted of a
representation of a human hand defined by curved lines, almost like a cartoon. It is supposed
to be open to give and receive.

Open Hand sculpture in Chandigarh

Other types of art explored by Le Corbusier included glass decoration, collages, and tapestry.
The motifs were similar to his paintings and sculptures, represented using different
techniques and materials.

Lesson Summary
Commonly known for being a very influential architect of the 20th century, Le Corbusier was
a Swiss artist, who created not only architecture but also paintings, sculptures, furniture and
other arts.

Le Corbusier's paintings followed a new artistic movement he and the French artist Ozenfant
created. It was called purism, an interpretation of cubism looking to represent ordinary
objects disposed of ornaments. Over the years, his paintings began to be more abstract,
representing vaguely defined objects. He also became interested in sculpture, creating small
decorative pieces made out of wood and larger pieces for complementing his architectonic
projects. Le Corbusier explored the art of photography with early shots focused on different
architectonic details of buildings and his later work focused more on common objects and
events of the everyday life. The artist also worked in the design of furniture, showing his
interest in human proportions and producing innovative pieces using tubular steel structures.