Oscar Niemeyer was one of the most innovative, prolific and daring architects of the last 60 years.
He developed a distinct and highly personal style that has become synonymous with Brazil’s modernist architecture. It captured the spirit of the time and place, the zeitgeist. White or natural reinforced concrete and primary-colour accents, combined with whimsical ideas in his projects are his signatures. Rejecting the cube shapes favoured by his modernist predecessors, he devised some of the world’s most striking buildings - monumental, curving concrete and glass structures which almost defy description. “Curves”, he wrote, “make up the entire universe, the curved universe of Einstein”.
The work which is regarded as the ultimate expression of Niemeyer’s approach to architectural design is Brasília an entire city carved out of the barren reddish Brazilian plateau.
His long-time friend and colleague Lúcio Costa laid out the street plan in the shape of an aeroplane. They then designed a huge number of the city’s residential, commercial and government buildings, which include the Itamaraty Palace. With reinforced concrete arches reflected in a mirror of water, with islands of tropical plants, the headquarters of the Foreign Office provides an unbelievable study in contrast of elements - it has the ethereal appearance of a floating palace built of glass.
When assessing his legacy, many an expert has pointed out that the excess of form and individuality in his oeuvre sidelined the social function of modern architecture.
Many criticize Brasília for being impersonal and elitist but 60 years on more than three million people live here and it is the only modern city to be named a Unesco World Heritage site.
The BBC. Obituary: Oscar Niemeyer, 2012 (adapted).
Judge the following item according to the text above.
Niemeyer transformed cold and rigid concrete into something of a very light, unearthly appearance.
Letter to Adolf Hitler, 1940
Wardha,
December 24, 1940
Dear friend,
That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes. My business in life has been for the past 33 years to enlist the friendship of the whole of humanity by befriending mankind, irrespective of race, colour or creed. We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents. But your own writings and pronouncements and those of your friends and admirers leave no room for doubt that many of your acts are monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity, especially in the estimation of men like me who believe in universal friendship. But we have been taught from childhood to regard them as acts degrading humanity. Hence we cannot possibly wish success to your arms. But ours is a unique position. We resist British Imperialism no less than Nazism. If there is a difference, it is in degree. One-fifth of the human race has been brought under the British heel by means that will not bear scrutiny. Our resistance to it does not mean harm to the British people. We seek to convert them, not to defeat them on the battle-field. Ours is an unarmed revolt against the British rule. But whether we convert them or not, we are determined to make their rule impossible by non-violent non-co-operation. It is a method in its nature indefensible. It is based on the knowledge that no spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or compulsory, of the victim. Our rulers may have our land and bodies but not our souls. They can have the former only by complete destruction of every Indian-man, woman and child.
I am,
Your sincere friend,
M. K. Gandhi.
Internet: time.com (adapted).
Considering the text above, judge the following item.
In the sentence “It is based on the knowledge that no spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or compulsory, of the victim”, the words “willing” and “compulsory” stand in a relationship of opposition.
Letter to Adolf Hitler, 1940
Wardha,
December 24, 1940
Dear friend,
That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes. My business in life has been for the past 33 years to enlist the friendship of the whole of humanity by befriending mankind, irrespective of race, colour or creed. We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents. But your own writings and pronouncements and those of your friends and admirers leave no room for doubt that many of your acts are monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity, especially in the estimation of men like me who believe in universal friendship. But we have been taught from childhood to regard them as acts degrading humanity. Hence we cannot possibly wish success to your arms. But ours is a unique position. We resist British Imperialism no less than Nazism. If there is a difference, it is in degree. One-fifth of the human race has been brought under the British heel by means that will not bear scrutiny. Our resistance to it does not mean harm to the British people. We seek to convert them, not to defeat them on the battle-field. Ours is an unarmed revolt against the British rule. But whether we convert them or not, we are determined to make their rule impossible by non-violent non-co-operation. It is a method in its nature indefensible. It is based on the knowledge that no spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or compulsory, of the victim. Our rulers may have our land and bodies but not our souls. They can have the former only by complete destruction of every Indian-man, woman and child.
I am,
Your sincere friend,
M. K. Gandhi.
Internet: time.com (adapted).
Considering the text above, judge the following item.
In the text, Gandhi claims that he never fights against his enemies.
Letter to Adolf Hitler, 1940
Wardha,
December 24, 1940
Dear friend,
That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes. My business in life has been for the past 33 years to enlist the friendship of the whole of humanity by befriending mankind, irrespective of race, colour or creed. We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents. But your own writings and pronouncements and those of your friends and admirers leave no room for doubt that many of your acts are monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity, especially in the estimation of men like me who believe in universal friendship. But we have been taught from childhood to regard them as acts degrading humanity. Hence we cannot possibly wish success to your arms. But ours is a unique position. We resist British Imperialism no less than Nazism. If there is a difference, it is in degree. One-fifth of the human race has been brought under the British heel by means that will not bear scrutiny. Our resistance to it does not mean harm to the British people. We seek to convert them, not to defeat them on the battle-field. Ours is an unarmed revolt against the British rule. But whether we convert them or not, we are determined to make their rule impossible by non-violent non-co-operation. It is a method in its nature indefensible. It is based on the knowledge that no spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or compulsory, of the victim. Our rulers may have our land and bodies but not our souls. They can have the former only by complete destruction of every Indian-man, woman and child.
I am,
Your sincere friend,
M. K. Gandhi.
Internet: time.com (adapted).
Considering the text above, judge the following item.
Gandhi enjoys playing with words and becomes morally ambiguous when he says that Hitler is not a monster but that he has been capable of inhumane monstrosity.
Letter to Adolf Hitler, 1940
Wardha,
December 24, 1940
Dear friend,
That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes. My business in life has been for the past 33 years to enlist the friendship of the whole of humanity by befriending mankind, irrespective of race, colour or creed. We have no doubt about your bravery or devotion to your fatherland, nor do we believe that you are the monster described by your opponents. But your own writings and pronouncements and those of your friends and admirers leave no room for doubt that many of your acts are monstrous and unbecoming of human dignity, especially in the estimation of men like me who believe in universal friendship. But we have been taught from childhood to regard them as acts degrading humanity. Hence we cannot possibly wish success to your arms. But ours is a unique position. We resist British Imperialism no less than Nazism. If there is a difference, it is in degree. One-fifth of the human race has been brought under the British heel by means that will not bear scrutiny. Our resistance to it does not mean harm to the British people. We seek to convert them, not to defeat them on the battle-field. Ours is an unarmed revolt against the British rule. But whether we convert them or not, we are determined to make their rule impossible by non-violent non-co-operation. It is a method in its nature indefensible. It is based on the knowledge that no spoliator can compass his end without a certain degree of co-operation, willing or compulsory, of the victim. Our rulers may have our land and bodies but not our souls. They can have the former only by complete destruction of every Indian-man, woman and child.
I am,
Your sincere friend,
M. K. Gandhi.
Internet: time.com (adapted).
Considering the text above, judge the following item.
It can be inferred from the text that Gandhi believes that British Imperialism has harmed far more people than Nazism.
Oscar Niemeyer was one of the most innovative, prolific and daring architects of the last 60 years.
He developed a distinct and highly personal style that has become synonymous with Brazil’s modernist architecture. It captured the spirit of the time and place, the zeitgeist. White or natural reinforced concrete and primary-colour accents, combined with whimsical ideas in his projects are his signatures. Rejecting the cube shapes favoured by his modernist predecessors, he devised some of the world’s most striking buildings - monumental, curving concrete and glass structures which almost defy description. “Curves”, he wrote, “make up the entire universe, the curved universe of Einstein”.
The work which is regarded as the ultimate expression of Niemeyer’s approach to architectural design is Brasília an entire city carved out of the barren reddish Brazilian plateau.
His long-time friend and colleague Lúcio Costa laid out the street plan in the shape of an aeroplane. They then designed a huge number of the city’s residential, commercial and government buildings, which include the Itamaraty Palace. With reinforced concrete arches reflected in a mirror of water, with islands of tropical plants, the headquarters of the Foreign Office provides an unbelievable study in contrast of elements - it has the ethereal appearance of a floating palace built of glass.
When assessing his legacy, many an expert has pointed out that the excess of form and individuality in his oeuvre sidelined the social function of modern architecture.
Many criticize Brasília for being impersonal and elitist but 60 years on more than three million people live here and it is the only modern city to be named a Unesco World Heritage site.
The BBC. Obituary: Oscar Niemeyer, 2012 (adapted).
Judge the following item according to the text above.
It can be inferred from the text that Niemeyer, like all great artists, was always fully immersed in his own world of art and architecture and unconcerned with his surroundings.