Life is more important than architecture.
Oscar NiemeyerRead
I was attracted by the curve β the liberated, sensual curve suggested by the possibilities of new technology yet so often recalled in venerable old baroque churches.
Interpretation
The quote speaks to the blend of modern technology and the timeless beauty found in traditional architecture.
Oscar Niemeyer expresses his fascination with how modern technology can create sensual and liberating curves in design, akin to the curves found in ancient baroque architecture. He highlights the relationship between innovation and tradition, suggesting that new advancements can evoke the elegance and beauty of the past.
In practice
This quote can be used in a lecture on the integration of technology in modern architecture.
Life is more important than architecture.
I deliberately disregarded the right angle and rationalist architecture designed with ruler and square to boldly enter the world of curves and straight lines offered by reinforced concrete... This deliberate protest arose from the environment in which I lived, with its white beaches, its huge mountains, its old baroque churches, and the beautiful suntanned women.
We need to feel that life is important; we need that fantasy so we can live a little better.
Here, then, is what I wanted to tell you of my architecture. I created it with courage and idealism, but also with an awareness of the fact that what is important is life, friends and attempting to make this unjust world a better place in which to live.
When you have a large space to conquer, the curve is the natural solution.
Curves are the essence of my work because they are the essence of Brazil, pure and simple.
All the dancer's gestures are signs of things, and the dance called rational, because it aptly signifies and displays something over and above the pleasure of the senses.
All those young photographers who are at work in the world, determined upon the capture of actuality, do not know that they are agents of Death.
Write a novel if you must, but think of money as an unlikely accident. Get your reward out of writing it, and try to be content with that.
Playing good girls in the '30s was difficult, when the fad was to play bad girls. Actually I think playing bad girls is a bore; I have always had more luck with good girl roles because they require more from an actress.
Writing is a job, a talent, but it's also the place to go in your head. It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon.
There's a steady forward march of a creative process that some of us stay with and don't give up - that should be an admirable thing - from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to Miles to Ornette and some people who are not even known today - some kids coming up - people who are out to change the world.
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