Monday, January 22, 2024

The manifestations of African art in Le Corbusier's architecture

In spite of an emerging African Renaissance, there is still no associated urgency in defining architecture with an African identity. This article explores the claim, made by the African American architect, Melvin Mitchell, that West African art (especially the mask) shaped Le Corbusier's work via cubism. This research relies mainly on formalistic and visual comparisons of typologies and forms, informed by relatively recent literature on the theme of cubism and modernist architecture. There seems to be a considerable alignment between some aspects of Le Corbusier's schemes, and examples of art and architecture from sub-Saharan Africa. Although the findings are impossible to substantiate definitively, they do suggest that there is a need to approach the study of both modernism and African art differently, but explored in conjunction with one another. As such, this article contributes to the idea of Le Corbusier's unfinished project. Die manifestasie van Afrika-kuns in Le Corbusier se argitektuur Ten spyte van 'n opkomende Afrika Renaissance is daar steeds geen gepaardgaande dringendheid om argitektuur met 'n Afrika-identiteit te definieer nie. Hierdie artikel ondersoek die Afrika Amerikaanse argitek, Melvin Mitchell, se bewering dat die kuns van Wes-Afrika, in besonders die masker, Le Corbusier se werk via kubisme gevorm het. Hierdie navorsing maak hoofsaaklik staat op formalistiese en visuele vergelykings van tipologiee en vorms, toegelig met betreklik onlangse literatuur oor die tema van kubisme en moderne argitektuur. Daar blyk aansienlike ooreenstemming te wees tussen sommige aspects van Le Corbusier se skemas en voorbeelde van kuns en argitektuur uit sub-Sahara Afrika. Hoewel dit onmoontlik is om die bevindinge beslissend te bevestig, dui hulle daarop dat daar 'n behoefte bestaan om die studie van beide modernisme en Afrika-kuns anders te benader, maar ook dat hulle saam ondersoek behoort te word. As sulks dra hierdie artikel by tot die idee van Le Corbusier se onvoltooide projek.















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