Le Corbusier's Hands

An assistant to and friend of Le Corbusier, Wogenscky portrays the modernist architect, designer and writer in 50 short chapters in this slender volume, an emotional and poetic accompaniment to traditional biographies. Eschewing biographical facts and reproductions of Le Corbusier's work, Wogenscky offers a more intimate look at Le Corbusier: detailed images of the wrinkles in his hands, a memory of his mother playing Handel on the piano and the guiding ideology behind his influential design principle for Unites d'Habitation, the urban housing units he designed. Using enigmatic and often contradictory quotations and anecdotes from Le Corbusier's letters and work, Wogenscky gives a balanced, airy view of the architect. Quotations from writers and thinkers like Rilke, Montaigne and Lao-tzu (identified only in the notes in the back) add depth, but the lack of attribution may make it difficult for readers to differentiate between contributions from outside sources and Le Corbusier's own words. A singular complement to Le Corbusier's work, this book is also an inspiring depiction of an artist.