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One of the Greatest ever: Oscar Niemeyer
05May
Articles

One of the Greatest ever: Oscar Niemeyer

The finest Latin American architect from the 20th century joined the Parnassus of the chosen ones to remain in the memory of universal culture. His universal scope is obvious due to the series of works he built in four spots of planet Earth —Latin America, United States, Europe, Africa and the Near East— with a powerful presence that established a renovating dialogue in societies that feature different cultures and religions. So, no wonder that regardless of there was no surprise when, in spite of his atheism and historic identification with Marxism, a religious ceremony was carried out with the presence of a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and an Islamic imam during his funeral on December 6, 2012, Rio de Janeiro.

As a member of a generation of Latin American architects Luis Barragan, Carlos Raul Villanueva, Eladio Dieste, Amancio Williams, Rogelio Salmona, Juan O’Gorman, Ricardo Porro, Antonio Quintana, Alfonso Reidy, Clorindo Testa, Emilio Duhart, Spanish Felix Candela, Teodoro Gonzalez de Leonwho worked to position the region in the space of Modernity, Oscar Niemeyer surpassed them and survived, in some cases, with a continuous work, identified with a personal seal that distinguishes it in and out of its original context, just like the famous works of other masters from the 20th century in Europe, United States and Japan: I’m talking about Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbuiser, Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, Walter Gropius, Phillip Johnson, Kenzo Tange, among others.

What’s OscarNiemeyer: a great sculptor that rationally modifies the space generated around him in order to use it for a specific function, or a brilliant architect who was in love with shapes and volumes from nature and took them to create those recognizable designs? The answer doesn’t seem to be important because the fact is that most of his work immediately arouses admiration in terms of the evolution of contemporary architecture. Creators from new generations and a sort of international jet set of architects, who are much-requested all over the world to design works, feel their debt to the Brazilian master: I’m talking about Austrian Rem Koolhaas, Iraqi Zaha Hadid, Portuguese Alvaro Siza, among others that toil away seeking originality based on different premises, whether they are technologic or material elements, different from the ones defended by Niemeyer within the context of a cultural iconic position that entails social, moral and even politic values in certain society and geographic space.

The “persistent linguistic coherence throughout his long and intense productive activity, apart from international fashion and brief style trends that followed the canons of European Modern Movement”, as expressed by Argentinean historian Roberto Segre, positions him in the national imaginary, nearly as one of the top representatives of the Brazilian identity, something pretty unusual since it is all about architecture instead of more popular cultural expressions such as music, literature, the movies. That’s the reason why, nevertheless, we can put him in the 20th century Latin American imaginary, next to Rivera, Orozco, Siquieros (the great Mexican muralists), Maria Felix, Carlos Gardel, Mercedes Sosa, Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Miguel Angel Asturias, Romulo Gallegos, Hector Villalobos, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Niemeyer is indissolubly linked to the curve, just as Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf, Tijuca verdant grove, the mountain and the Redeeming Christ of Corcovado. He took his essential ideas out of it and it wasn’t a secret: that’s the key to his architecture’s aesthetic meaning because, just like those nature expressions stand out in any natural landscape, the architectural edifications are the most visible elements in any urban scene. His awareness on this matter was extraordinary: living near to the sinuous beaches of Rio de Janeiro (Botafogo, Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and Tijuca) generated and fostered that belief in Niemeyer, that faith in the curvilinear movement, in the sensuality of nature and women and men around him.

Admiring Oscar Niemeyer’s work means understanding Brazil in certain way, and is also appreciating a fine share of Latin America. Over 100 years of fertile and creative existence, borne out the prestige of this outstanding and paradigmatic architect that has deserved the sympathy and respect of numerous countries and cultures in every corner of Earth.