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Art Institute of Chicago

Figure Studies

Oscar Niemeyer

1999

Attribution
Oscar Niemeyer Brazilian, 1907-2012
Medium
Black marker on tracing paper
Physical dimensions
50 × 70 cm (19 11/16 × 27 9/16 in.)
Credit line
Gift of Oscar Niemeyer, Fundaçao Oscar Niemeyer
CATALOGUE RECORD

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Source rights statement: Public-domain image eligibility not established by this export

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From the museum

Drawing was a love of Niemeyer from earlier on; as a child he would draw in the air with his finger. It was his love of drawing that led him to architecture and reinforces his belief, as written on this sketch, ”without drawing architecture does not exist,” that further emphasizes how integral drawing was to the development of his architecture. Niemeyer drew formal inspiration from organic forms in nature, but perhaps most prominent to his inspiration was his love of the female form. It is within the sinuous lines he drew in these figure studies that the formal relationship of the figure to organic shapes of Niemeyer’s buildings are prominent.

Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0

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