Oscar Niemeyer

cnapan · December 6th, 2012, 11:42 PM

Oscar Niemeyer - architect famous for Brasilia - died recently at the age of 104.

I never got to see his Serpentine Gallery. Is there anything permanent here that he did?

There's an excellent collection of his work in this photo montage:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ul...?frame=2420183

Langur · December 7th, 2012, 12:14 AM

Some wonderful buildings there...

cosmictanya · December 7th, 2012, 09:15 PM

i wish the serpentine pavilion had been permanent.

love the itamaraty palace and the cicillo matarazzo pavilion.

Light Parade · December 8th, 2012, 10:21 AM

But in all honesty - as a place to live, a place to create communities, rather than somewhere that just photographs supremely well - doesn't Brasilia look ghastly?

cnapan · December 8th, 2012, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Light Parade

But in all honesty - as a place to live, a place to create communities, rather than somewhere that just photographs supremely well - doesn't Brasilia look ghastly?

I had a quick look over it with google maps, and I guess the best you can say is that it's a typical modern american city - with all that entails (lots of space for cars) with lots of rather boring architecture. It could have been much worse though if Niemeyer didn't liven it up with some truly breathtaking architecture. The cathedral alone looks worth the visit - reminds me of Paddy's wigwam (which I also love).

RPFigueiredo · December 8th, 2012, 02:29 PM

Criticism on Brasília is rather common, specially because it was conceived in the basis of the Athens Chart. What Lucio Costa (who designed the city, NOT Niemeyer) did in special was translate the typical modernist planing to a Brazilian context.
It is a lie that the city does not work well. Of course it has problems related to its zoning, but the residential areas are very pleasant and people have adapted it's strict planing to their own caotic lives.

I accept criticism of Brasília as a city - it's deffects are there. But it makes me sad that sometimes this criticism wrongly hit Niemeyer. His architecture in Brasília is something rather fantastic, for the buildings alone and their integration with the good or bad city planing. The way he set up the ministries and the congress buildings create an exctigin perspective from the crossing of the two axis. The cathedral is breathtaking, and the Palaces (Itamaraty, Alvorada, Planalto) are gorgeous structures that in no means comprimise their function or confort due to their aesthetic qualities. This kind of criticism is only valid for Niemeyer later works, which after the MAC Niterói in 1991, became quite boring and graceless.

December 6th, 2012, 11:42 PM	#1
cnapan Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 849 Likes (Received): 107	Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Niemeyer - architect famous for Brasilia - died recently at the age of 104. I never got to see his Serpentine Gallery. Is there anything permanent here that he did? There's an excellent collection of his work in this photo montage: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ul...?frame=2420183

December 7th, 2012, 12:14 AM	#2
Langur Londinium langur Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: London Posts: 8,221 Likes (Received): 90	Some wonderful buildings there... __________________ If deficit spending in a downturn was some kind of panacea, then Greece would be booming by now.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

December 7th, 2012, 09:15 PM	#3
cosmictanya Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: London Posts: 4,436 Likes (Received): 432	i wish the serpentine pavilion had been permanent. love the itamaraty palace and the cicillo matarazzo pavilion.

December 8th, 2012, 10:21 AM	#4
Light Parade Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: London Posts: 693 Likes (Received): 14	But in all honesty - as a place to live, a place to create communities, rather than somewhere that just photographs supremely well - doesn't Brasilia look ghastly?

December 8th, 2012, 02:29 PM	#6
RPFigueiredo The Modernist Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Ribeirão Preto/Bath Posts: 478 Likes (Received): 158	Criticism on Brasília is rather common, specially because it was conceived in the basis of the Athens Chart. What Lucio Costa (who designed the city, NOT Niemeyer) did in special was translate the typical modernist planing to a Brazilian context. It is a lie that the city does not work well. Of course it has problems related to its zoning, but the residential areas are very pleasant and people have adapted it's strict planing to their own caotic lives. I accept criticism of Brasília as a city - it's deffects are there. But it makes me sad that sometimes this criticism wrongly hit Niemeyer. His architecture in Brasília is something rather fantastic, for the buildings alone and their integration with the good or bad city planing. The way he set up the ministries and the congress buildings create an exctigin perspective from the crossing of the two axis. The cathedral is breathtaking, and the Palaces (Itamaraty, Alvorada, Planalto) are gorgeous structures that in no means comprimise their function or confort due to their aesthetic qualities. This kind of criticism is only valid for Niemeyer later works, which after the MAC Niterói in 1991, became quite boring and graceless.