Building as an Art Form
The building could be perceived as a series of design elements and volumes that form an ensemble that manifests in of building. The sequence of built elements was almost as carefully calibrated as any art would be in the art gallery. “It encompasses the exuberant multiplication of volumes and promenades architecturales that emphasize the pictorial qualities of the pavilions open form, along with the interest in ambiguous images and the preference for spatial recession over frontality.”34
This orchestrated gesture was obvious in the composed vistas throughout the building. It started off with the ramp - the center piece. It was described to be unproportionally heavy for the rest of the building and did “nothing but confuse the circulation, in as much as there is already a flight of stairs at the rear of the building.”35 One might see the ramp as a flaw in the building design, but not if you perceive it as visual experience. The other oddity was the floor levels in the building. The ground floor featured unreasonably tall ceilings, about twenty feet, whereas the second and the third floors were only twelve feet
This orchestrated gesture was obvious in the composed vistas throughout the building. It started off with the ramp - the center piece. It was described to be unproportionally heavy for the rest of the building and did “nothing but confuse the circulation, in as much as there is already a flight of stairs at the rear of the building.”35 One might see the ramp as a flaw in the building design, but not if you perceive it as visual experience. The other oddity was the floor levels in the building. The ground floor featured unreasonably tall ceilings, about twenty feet, whereas the second and the third floors were only twelve feet
each, imposing the feeling of shrinking space as one would make their way through the building. Similar to the out of proportion forms in Tarsila do Amaral work, the ramp demanded attention. The art critic for La Revue dem l’Amérique Latine describes Tarsila’s work: “...even if a detail is borrowed from reality (a tree, a plant, an animal), it is so stylized, reduced to its most basic shape, that it evokes a creation. All these elements are regrouped in a new order often evocative of a theatrical set and constituting a peculiar world with new connections, and unexpected perspectives.”36 The Brazil Pavilions composition could be similarly described. The volumes gravitated into and away from each other creating an atmosphere of a new theatrical world unfamiliar yet to the western world.
The building, designed to be temporal, was sculptural piece in itself. Its features were proudly displayed and framed as one made their way through the building. In addition, the pavilion also contained the works of Brazilian artist as part of the overall ensemble. Art within the art.
The building, designed to be temporal, was sculptural piece in itself. Its features were proudly displayed and framed as one made their way through the building. In addition, the pavilion also contained the works of Brazilian artist as part of the overall ensemble. Art within the art.
Porous Ground Floor Entry. Photographer unknown.
1939. Print, Arqtexto no. 16.