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A maxim of Oscar Niemeyer, who died on Wednesday.
As a young man he worked in his father’s type house.

That reminded me of a line quoted by Eric Bana's character in Hanna, "Music; a combination of sounds with a view to beauty of form and expression of emotion". You could take everything after "sounds" and be talking about type or indeed, architecture.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately but is beauty a transcendent thing or infinitely subjective? Beyond that it is deeply personal but I am intrigued by perspectives.

R.I.P. Oscar Niemeyer.

The man inspired me for sure!! Not so much through his style/philosophy of architecture, but he inspired me because he showed what is possible.

Perhaps it was through his father's teachings that gave him the crucial understanding of what can be achieved ...one design element at a time for the greater whole.

n.

Spraking of beauty, the other day I saw an article about the BBC documentary by/about Roger Scruton, "Wh Beauty in Art Matters".

@Arthus:
His stance on how people should fill the 'free time' they get in the western world only fits the elitist few.

Could be; haven't seen the documentary yet. But the common man, rather than the elite, is uncomfortable with modern art, and seeks conventional aesthetic gratification from art - whether the beauty of cute puppies, a sunset over a mountain behind a lake, or that of Miss February.

Ah yes, Scruton. While it's worthwhile to watch/read his stuff, but I'm usually dropping out because of his assumptions on 'the contemporary' in culture and arts. His stance on how people should fill the 'free time' they get in the western world only fits the elitist few. If we all lived according to his thoughts on the arts, the world would be a quite boring place.

Sure people should be taught more to appreciate art and culture (according to Scruton this should be done to teach people true emotions and beauty) But hey, some people care less, and to always direct your personal flame war at them as the destroyers of society (as Scruton does) gets really old fast.

To stay on topic, Niemeyer was an amazing architect who showed us the possibilities of architecture and need to break from the mold. With construction methods becoming more advanced these days, he is a great icon who showed how to merge technique and aesthetics.

Karl--

Transcendent or subjective? Both, really, as Keats reminded us: there are Cosmic Truths and personal truths. Beauty may speak both: when the two are one, we find our bliss...

Niemeyer was an amazing architect who showed us the possibilities of architecture and need to break from the mold. With construction methods becoming more advanced these days, he is a great icon who showed how to merge technique and aesthetics.

He was one of a half dozen or so who had the right clients allowing him to play. And that's what inspires me about him. I mean really, throughout the history of the 'Urban' concept not very many architects have been able to determined a whole city's vibe. Even the notable American architect Frank Lloyd Wright couldn't pull that one off. Wright had the plan(s) but not the client.

n.

Niemeyer’s quote on beauty was a riposte to functionalism.
By that, he didn’t mean that the clever solution to a functional problem could be considered beautiful, but that there was a sensual enjoyment to be had from the perception of form.

… not very many architects have been able to determined a whole city's vibe.

Visiting Glasgow, one expects a lot of Mackintosh, but he was marginal and designed few major buildings in his day, despite his present reputation. However, the city centre is full of Victorian Greek Revival buildings, a large number designed by Alexander Thomson, which really set the tone of the place.