The Beginnings of Le Corbusier's Education, 1902–07

Abstract

Until now, little has been known about the aesthetic theory and attitudes to which Le Corbusier was exposed in his early years. This is particularly unfortunate since theory was fundamental to Le Corbusier's work, and since his writings and theoretical pronouncements were so influential in the development of modern architecture. Our lack of knowledge exists largely because Le Corbusier – or Charles-Édouard Jeanneret1 – was not the product of an established school with known principles and philosophy, but instead made the unusual choice of educating himself. He acknowledged that Charles L'Eplattenier, his boyhood teacher at the Art School in La Chaux-de-Fonds (in the French-speaking Jura region of Switzerland), was more of a “master” to him than any other person; but even the ideas of L'Eplattenier are not very well known except through occasional remarks made by Le Corbusier later in his career. And the problem is compounded by Le Corbusier's own tendency to disclaim intellectual influences and to encourage the view, like so many artists, that his ideas had sprung full-blown from his creative genius.2