Le Corbusier - Unitè 4A from “Unitè”

This work is extremely interesting in that it offers a glimpse into the graphic art of Le Corbusier, a pivotal figure in the history of art, but best known for his architectural work. The subject matter is not immediately identifiable, as the work, like most of the Swiss architect's paintings, can be ascribed to a surrealist and post-cubist aesthetic. This means that, from an iconographic perspective, the artist creates an alienating composition through the accumulation and superimposition of different images (not necessarily due to a process of automatic writing as in the best surrealist tradition, and given the purely rational nature of Le Corbusier's aesthetic, also evident in this etching), but which nevertheless determines the transposition into a dimension entirely "other" than phenomenal reality precisely through the juxtaposition of heterogeneous elements. This consequently converges with an adherence to a post-cubist aesthetic, in the sense of an extreme synthesis, starting from sensory data in an essential, mechanical reconstruction, i.e., one marked by a geometricization of representation. The work comes from the Unitè collection, created in 1965 in Paris and consisting of 20 etchings.

Starting from the premises established thus far, we can see how the work is characterized by a strong degree of abstraction. The tangible object is somehow distinguishable by the presence of a tangle of hands, but it is systematically reduced to its essentials and deformed according to the rules of a complex, multidimensional space, of Cubist origin. Despite this marked search for primary values ​​in representation, the Cubist reconstruction of reality presupposes a certain plasticity of the objects, which is achieved solely through the expressive force of the black line. This line develops in different directions, seeking out the forms and volumes to be arranged in a space whose depth is effectively identified by the two shadings at the base of the work. From a chromatic perspective, too, the etching exhibits the characteristics of synthesis and essentiality. All this reflects the values ​​of Le Corbusier's artistic and theoretical practice, in the desire to enclose reality in a compact portion (a Unité, precisely, as his housing modules were also called) built on an essential aesthetic, inspired by principles of rationality and functionality.

Charles-Edouard Janneret, known as Le Corbusier, was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1887 and died in Cap-Martin, on the French Riviera, in 1965. Known primarily for his architectural work, he was one of the leading theorists of Functionalism and Rationalist architecture. His education came through contact with the circles of the Vienna Secession and his stay in Berlin, where, in Peter Beherens' studio, he met Gropius and Mies Van Der Rohe. He also had the opportunity to study historical architecture in depth. His theoretical conception was based on the search for an architectural practice that organized urban space to functionally accommodate its inhabitants.
according to the principles of a rational and essential aesthetic.

The transaction takes place with maximum security for both the seller and the buyer. We take care of the conformity (provenance, authenticity, state of conservation) of the work and handle the shipping.
Returns are possible no later than 14 days after receiving the order.