Oscar Niemeyer's architectural works and public buildings in Brasilia

¶ … Oscar Niemeyer's Public Works:

Brasilia

He is called an architect of the people and is known as Brasilia's greatest architect. Oscar Niemeyer has undoubtedly left a great and important mark not only upon this city, but upon the country as well. From his work in architecture, to his remarkable life, this man had a valuable and respect-worthy footprint upon humankind. This short synopsis will examine Niemeyer's life and his work in architecture.

Niemeyer was born in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil in 1907. By 1934, he graduated from the Art school in Rio, at which time he joined a team of architects who were collaborating with Le Corbusier. The architects were building a new Ministry of Education and Health in the city of Rio. Niemeyer worked with these architects until 1938. However, his work with Le Corbusier left a lasting influence upon his work, though he gradually acquired his own style. This personal style eventually employed "lightness of the curved forms created spaces," which often "transformed the architectural scheme into something that was hitherto unknown […] harmony, grace and elegance are the adjectives that are most appropriate to describe the work of Oscar Niemeyer." Niemeyer is also connected to modernist architecture to his spectacular volumes, which will be described in his architectural works below. [1: "Oscar Niemeyer." Oscar Niemeyer: architect biography. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. . ]

It is important to note that the most important government building in Brasilia are Niemeyer's buildings and they include the domes of the National Congress, the curved columns of the Supreme Court, and the designs of the Brasilia Cathedral and Ministry of Justice. It is also important to mentioned Niemeyer's continuation of his work elsewhere in the city and the country. These works included the Estrada das Canoas and Obra de Berco in Rio de Janeiro, the Copan building, Ibiraquera Park, and the Dutchen factory in Sao Paulo, the Zoological Garden and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Algiers, and the Renault office building in Italy, among many others. [2: "Oscar Niemeyer And The Dream Of Brasilia." Brasilia-Brazil.info. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. . ] [3: "Oscar Niemeyer And The Dream Of Brasilia." Brasilia-Brazil.info. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. . ]

The first work to be analyzed is Cathedral of Brasilia. This work was completed in May of 1970. The Cathedral of Brasilia is said to be "often compared to the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral by English architect Frederick Gibberd" due to the fact that both buildings are "circular with high spires that extend from the top." The difference, however is that Niemeyer's spires on the cathedral are boomerang shapes that seem to flow and suggest curved, heaven-reaching fingers. [4: " Cathedral of Brasilia." About.com. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. < http://architecture.about.com/od/findphotos/ig/Oscar-Niemeyer/Cathedral-of-Bras-lia.htm>. ] [5: " Cathedral of Brasilia." About.com. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011. < http://architecture.about.com/od/findphotos/ig/Oscar-Niemeyer/Cathedral-of-Bras-lia.htm>. ]