Oscar Niemeyer Curved Lines: Few Words Many Sentences

Abstract

This study is aimed at the description of the curves that identify the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer and it is based on the geometrical structure of the identity of buildings belonging to the so-called style of Niemeyer. Niemeyer is widely known for his inventive attitude and conceptual freedom, both associated with the use of curved surfaces, often called “free forms.” The original steps of Niemeyer’s strategy are based on two types of curves: in the parabola and in the arc of circular circumference added by the line segment. Starting from these two curves, he further develops operations such as rotation, translation, reflection, intersection, scaling (parametric curves) and addition. There exists enough evidence to postulate that Niemeyer used classical rules of proportion as an intrinsic feature of his work even in his very recent projects. The identification of the geometrical structure of Niemeyer’s language is the key factor for the analysis and the syntactical description of his work.

Purism imposed a very heavy limitation in that the free plan could occur only within the boundaries of pure geometric forms (Zevi 1974; our trans).

I am attracted by free-flowing, sensuous curves. The curves I find on the mountains of my native land in the sinuous course of its rivers in the clouds in the sky, and on the body of the beloved woman (Oscar Niemeyer, quoted in (Petit 1995)).

First published as: Benamy Turkienicz and Rosirene Mayer , “Oscar Niemeyer Curved Lines: Few Words, Many Sentences”, pp. 135–148 in Nexus VI: Architecture and Mathematics, Sylvie Duvernoy and Orietta Pedemonte, eds. Turin: Kim Williams Books, 2006.