Quote of the Day
“You employ stone, wood, and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and palaces; that is construction. Ingenuity is at work.
But suddenly you touch my heart, you do me good, I am happy and I say, “This is beautiful.” That is Architecture. Art enters in.
My house is practical. I thank you, as I might thank Railway engineers, or the Telephone service. You have not touched my heart.
But suppose that walls rise toward heaven in such a way that I am moved. I perceive your intentions. Your mood has been gentle, brutal, charming or noble. The stones you have erected tell me so. You fix me to the place and my eyes regard it. They behold something which expresses a thought. A thought which reveals itself without word or sound, but solely by means of shapes which stand in a certain relationship to one another. These shapes are such that they are clearly revealed in light. The relationships between them have not necessarily any reference to what is practical or descriptive. They are a mathematical creation of your mind. They are the language of Architecture. By the use of inert materials and starting from conditions more or less utilitarian, you have established certain relationships which have aroused my emotions. This is Architecture.”
~ Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture
Posted: November 9th, 2009
at 9:48am by orangemenace
Tagged with quote, le corbusier
Categories: architecture,quote of the day
Comments: 2 comments
2 Responses to 'Quote of the Day'
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As one of my college professors would say
QUOTATION!
Alyson Fletcher
3 Dec 09 at 6:43 pm
I like this quote – it represent my thoughts on architecture perfectly. I believe architecture should be practical, but also be able to touch people – meet their wishes, desires, and needs on an emotional level.
I wonder in which stage of his life Le Corbusier wrote this…
simondroog
26 Jan 10 at 4:48 am