Poem of the Right Angle

The paintings are arranged symmetrically in seven rows, or "zones" and read across, in order, 5, 3, 5, 1, 3, 1, 1 such that the entire composition appears top-heavy and cross-like.

Le Corbusier was very interested in classic themes of alchemy, and each piece, as well as the significance of its placement in the color-coded sets, draws from and illuminates the dialectic of opposites inherent in alchemical processes.

Representative of the water cycle, an important part of alchemy and "a matrix for a dualistic universal confrontation.

Very similar to the actual cover of the work, it is split down the middle and the clasped hands signal contradiction and reconciliation of opposites, which Corbusier stated were the only ways to ensure human survival.

Corbusier's tribute to the flesh consists of more complicated figures representing the animal world and all of its creative capacities.

The center line is quite overt, which may indicate that the image can also be recognized when turned 90°, a practice Le Corbusier was fond of.

The image of a woman's body with a unicorn's head is a motif that is also seen in the mural of Le Corbusier's Swiss Pavilion at the Paris University Campus (C.I.U.P.

The complex image of many women and a horse is achieved through phenomenal transparency and separation of color from line.

The symbol of the open hand appears as an "offering", and the interior lines and contours reveal traits and hidden characteristics.

The presentation of a "tool" is an analogy to the Philosopher's stone, both the solution and the question, thus establishing the cyclical nature of the work.