Brazilian Architect Essay

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Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who designed some of the 20th Century's most famous modernist buildings, has died just before his 105th birthday. He rose to international fame as the architect of the main government buildings in the futuristic Brazilian capital, Brasilia, inaugurated in 1960. He also worked with Swiss-born modernist architect Le Corbusier on the UN building in New York. He continued to work on new projects until earlier this year. He died on Wednesday at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro. A memorial service will be held in the presidential palace in Brasilia on Thursday. Niemeyer's family was informed of the honour in a phone call from President Dilma Rousseff. "Brazil has lost today one of its geniuses, It is a day to lament his death. It is a day to acclaim his life." Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes has declared three days of mourning in Niemeyer's home city. It is thought he will be buried there on Friday. Inspirational women's curves Oscar Niemeyer started his career in the 1930s, when Brazil was still copying neoclassical European architecture and designing ornate palace-like buildings. Niemeyer said his stylised swoops were inspired by Brazilian women's curves His bold futuristic designs in Brasilia made the new capital a dramatic statement of confidence in the future of Brazil, and an icon of modern architecture. A student of Le Corbusier, he developed a distinctive style defined by stark concrete and sweeping curves. He famously once said the stylised swoops in his buildings were inspired by the curves of Brazilian women. "When you have a large space to conquer, the curve is the natural solution," he said. "I once wrote a poem about the curve. The curve I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean and on the body of the beloved woman."

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