Charles-Eduard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and the “Orient

Miyuki Aoki Girardelli*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Charles-Eduard Jeanneret's voyage to Istanbul tends to be considered as a prelude to his momentous career change as Le Corbusier (1887-1965) ensuing period, but not many scholars have contextualized this voyage in global and local historical dynamics. His book Le Voyage d'Orient is generally seen as the document of the trip in 1911, although it was published in 1966, 55 years after the trip, and became his last written work, prepared one month before his death. The book is based on his Carnet, describing in detail the travel experience of the young Eduard Jeanneret and his companion and close friend August Klipstein (1885-1951) in an “Orient” that included Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Greece and Italy. In fact this book can be read also as a carefully programmed story of pre-Le Corbusier re-written by Le Corbusier, an architect-hero, meant to be repositioned in the end of his life/voyage. The associated idea of life/voyage, as well as the title of the book “Voyage d'Orient”, remind us of his supposed connections and inclination to Freemasonry and to the Grand d'Orient de France. In this regard, this paper aims firstly to reconsider the meaning of Le Voyage d'Orient by Le Corbusier (not simply by Charles-Eduard Janneret), in relation to the Freemasonic context, and secondly to suggest how his formative experience maybe framed in the system of values and ideas of the Modern Movement.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication16th International Docomomo Conference Tokyo Japan 2020+1 Proceedings - Inheritable Resilience
Subtitle of host publicationSharing Values of Global Modernities
EditorsAna Tostoes, Yoshiyuki Yamana
PublisherDocomomo
Pages1296-1299
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9784904700785
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Event16th International Docomomo Conference Tokyo Japan 2020+1 - Tokyo, Japan
Duration: 29 Aug 20212 Sept 2021

Publication series

NameInheritable Resilience: Sharing Values of Global Modernities - 16th International Docomomo Conference Tokyo Japan 2020+1 Proceedings
Volume4

Conference

Conference16th International Docomomo Conference Tokyo Japan 2020+1
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityTokyo
Period29/08/212/09/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Inheritable Resilience: Sharing Values of Global Modernities - 16th International Docomomo Conference Tokyo Japan 2020+1 Proceedings.

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