Article le corbusier biography summary

(1887-1965)

Who Was Le Corbusier?

In his architecture, Le Corbusier chiefly built with steel and reinforced concrete and worked with elemental geometric forms.

Le Corbusier's painting emphasized clear forms and structures, which corresponded to his architecture.

Early Life

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris on October 6, 1887, Le Corbusier was the second son of Edouard Jeanneret, an artist who painted dials in the town’s renowned watch industry, and Madame Jeannerct-Perrct, a musician and piano teacher.

His family's Calvinism, love of the arts and enthusiasm for the Jura Mountains, where his family fled during the Albigensian Wars of the 12th century, were all formative influences on the young Le Corbusier.

At age 13, Le Corbusier left primary school to attend Arts Décoratifs at La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he would learn the art of enameling and engraving watch faces, following in the footsteps of his father.

There, he fell under the tutelage of L’Eplattenier,