Friday, December 7, 2012

Brasilia Cathedral

Brasilia

Brazil's master Modernist architect, Oscar Niemeyer, died on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro aged 104. Niemeyer designed buildings in many Brazilian cities but he will probably be remembered the most for the buildings he designed for Brazil's capital, Brasilia during the 1950s & 60s.

Brasilia Cathedral

The building above is the Brasilia Cathedral. The cornerstone was laid on 12th September 1958 and the cathedral was dedicated on 31st May 1970. It is one of the most extraordinary buildings I have ever visited. The combinations of blues and greens in the glass walls are mesmerising.

Brasilia Cathedral

And the white struts keep drawing your eye to the crown in the centre of the space

Brasilia Cathedral

and the three angels by Alfredo Ceschiatti, with the help of Dante Croce.

Brasilia Cathedral

Reference:
Brasilia Cathedral, About Brasilia

Posted by David Thompson
Place: ,

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 8, 2012 at 4:20 AM

    I absolutely LOVE the fantastic buildings of Brasilia, especially the Cathedral. When I was a young kid in the early 60's, I vividly remember when pictures of the then brand new structures were published in LIFE and LOOK and Popular Mechanics and other magazines of the time. And shortly thereafter, Broyhill added the stunning "Brasilia" line to it's Premier line of funiture (which my folks purchased in 1963 and which I have been collecting for years!). Odd thing is, however, I have NEVER read or heard anywhere these buildings included in the "Art Deco" period of design. Art Deco is normally considered a design movement PRE-World War II. The Niemeyer Brasilia gems were absolutely from the Mid-20th Century Modern design period which is a post-WWII development. If you put the two styles side by side you can see the difference. Still, I find that many confuse and mix the design timeline but as long as they love these gorgeous buildings that's all that matters.

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    Replies
    1. David ThompsonDecember 8, 2012 at 10:28 AM

      Absolutely! They are fantastic Modernist buildings.

      Delete
  2. HelsDecember 8, 2012 at 4:02 PM

    I wondered what Le Corbusier's connection to Niemeyer was, thinking that Niemeyer had probably spent his youth in Bauhaus or something similar. But no....Le Corbusier spent time in Brasil. What a great learning opportunity for a young architect.

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    Replies
    1. David ThompsonDecember 8, 2012 at 4:24 PM

      For sure Helen and Le Corbusier struck up a 'friendship' with Josephine Baker on the ship from Europe to Brazil … what an experience for a 40-something architect.

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