Les Mains. The Hands. by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret - Le Corbusier, 1887-1967
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Les Mains. The Hands.

Original drypoint with etching in black ink. 1930-48. Signed in pencil. Numbered (61) in pencil from the edition of 100. Also signed with initials in the plate and with the etched date:'30-48. Op 2' (referring to the fact it was Corbusier's second earliest work in etching). Printed at the studio of Paul Haasen, Paris 1948 and based on a 1930 composition. Ref: Weber - Corbusier Prints no 1.

The most important composition in Corbusier's early print oeuvre.

Excellent impression with tone. Pale cream soft wove paper. Printed on the upper part of the sheet, as issued. Excellent original condition. Full margins (small at the head of the sheet and large at the foot). The foot margin folded. Sheet: 378x280mm. 14 3/4 x 11ins. Plate: 175x230. 7 x 9 1/4ins.

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This is an exceptional pre-issue proof of the second and most important of the five very significant etchings which Le Corbusier drew in 1946-48. Like 'Opus 1 New York' this plate was probably etched at Hayter's 'Atelier 17' studio whilst it was in New York. It draws on a theme of 1930, and it symbolises the very essence of Corbusier's architectural and artistic ideas from 1930 onwards, that the form and scale and function of the human body should be the controlling influence in a building as in art. Corbusier's awareness of the emphasis on subliminal suggestion in Surrealist art is also very apparent in the concept of 'Les Mains'.

This proof represents an intermediate state before the issue of this etching. A first state, before any of the linear tone work in the background is known (see WWG catalogue no 6 1995). The issued edition (see the Weber catalogue or WWG catalogue No 5 1978) has the inking clean wiped. This impression (using a sheet of paper like the issued edition with the plate high on the sheet; the foot of this sheet complete but with a framing fold in the very large blank foot margin) has a very dramatic and atmospheric hand-wiped ink background tone revealing surface work on the plate which is not apparent in the clean-wiped issued edition.

This is an outstandingly fine impression in a possibly unique proof state.