Image via Complex Original
In an interview with The New York Times, Kanye West admitted that the new sound on "Yeezus" came from somewhere none of us were expecting. "Architecture — you know, this one Corbusier lamp was like, my greatest inspiration," he claimed.
Le Corbusier is one of the founders of modern architecture. Working in the 1930s, the French architect rejected the architectural styles before him. In fact, he rejected style entirely in favor of minimal and essential structures. He believed in function above all, and his perfectly-proportioned creations were ideal structures for the modern citizen. "Like I say, I’m a minimalist in a rapper’s body," Kanye told the NY Times, which explains his attraction to Le Corbusier's radical designs.
Last week, MoMA opened their show on the influential architect, "Le Corbusier: An Atlas of Modern Landscapes." It seems that Le Corbusier is having a moment in the cultural spotlight. We've put together a list of why Le Corbusier is just as awesome as Kanye says he is. Meet the inspiration behind "Yeezus."
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He Invented Buildings that LeBron Could Fit Inside
He Invented Buildings that LeBron Could Fit Inside
Le Corbusier's Modulor Man may look like a strange sculpture from a primitive culture, but it's actually the basis of all his streamlined buildings. Dividing the body up into perfect proportions, Le Corbusier came up with a scale to construct buildings perfectly suited to man's size. His Modular Man stretches to 7.42 feet from toes to fingertips, a height that could comfortably accommodate all members of the NBA.
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He May Be a Closet Rastafarian
He May Be a Closet Rastafarian
Le Corbusier was designing buildings way before Bob Marley's time, but both men had a thing for red, green, and yellow. For Marley, these three were the iconic Rastafarian colors. For the architect, it was his signature. Le Corbusier used these colors repeatedly as part of his visual code. A parsed down color scheme fits with his simplified aesthetic.
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He's Cooler Than Anyone Who Came Before Him
He's Cooler Than Anyone Who Came Before Him
Working in the 1930s, Le Corbusier was sick of all the architectural flourishes of the past. In his book "Towards A New Architecture," Le Corbusier writes, "Style is like a feather on a woman's hat, nothing more." That just might be the most gentlemanly trash talk we've ever heard. With this comment, he wanted to get rid of the ornamentation found in Baroque, Art Nouveau, and Gothic architecture. By divorcing with style, he created an entirely new style that has lasting influence today. We wish we could pull something like that off.
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His Furniture is Super Sexy
His Furniture is Super Sexy
Le Corbusier's lamp got Kanye's stamp of approval, so you know he's done something right. With slick black leather and cow hair, his sleek furniture still holds global appeal 50 years after the architect's death. Like his buildings, Le Corbusier's furniture is by the modernist idea of function before style. It's undeniable that his chairs would fit right in a swanky bachelor pad.
He Designed an Entire City in India
He Designed an Entire City in India
60 years ago, Le Cobusier was called on to design a city in northern India called Chandigarh. Although it's not a tourist destination, the city is home to some of Le Corbusier's most impressive works. Due to neglect, the striking Assembly Building (among other works) has fallen into decay, and Le Corbusier furniture was pillaged from the building — as we said it's a hot commodity.
He Can Hang with Every Cali Bro
He Can Hang with Every Cali Bro
Like the Modulor Man, the Open Hand symbol is one of Le Corbusier's signature motifs. He claimed that the design represented peace and quality. "The hand is open to give and receive," he said in an interview. Above is Le Corbusier's biggest Open Hand, which stood over public space for the people of Chandigarh. Despite it's noble origins, we think it looks just like a hang ten sign.
He's a Triple Threat
He's a Triple Threat
We don't mean singing, dancing and acting, but this modern Renaissance man was an architect, furniture designer, and visual artist. Working with the cubist painter Amédée Ozenfant in the 1920s, the two collaborated to create their own art movement, Purism. Purism rejected the elaboration of Cubism in favor of depicting pure and essential structures. Not only is he a triple threat, but the man invented is own art movement!
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He Made the Chillest Villa Ever
He Made the Chillest Villa Ever
LeCorbusier's most famous work is his 1929-30 Villa Savoye. The pivotal modern design evidences a rejection of style for the purest structure imaginable. He wanted it to be a "machine for living." Even today, it looks like a building of the future, and we wouldn't mind living in it.
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He Likes Rooftops Just as Much as We Do
He Likes Rooftops Just as Much as We Do
Fed up with architectural movements of the past, LeCorbusier made his own rules because that's what ballers do. One of his five points of architecture included a roof garden to provide openness and light. His other rules included that a building must be supported by stilts (what he called pilotis), horizontal windows, a free design for ground plan and one for the façade. Villa Savoye embodies all of these. We imagine that he also made space for a rooftop bar.
He Made the Coolest Church We've Ever Seen
He Made the Coolest Church We've Ever Seen
Ronchamp Chapel in France may be one of Le Corbusier's most beautiful buildings. The church doesn't look like any religious building we've ever seen, but it's spectacular. Completed in 1954, the curving walls raise to the sky, and it's stained glass windows are red, blue, and yellow — of course.