In his appreciation of Oscar Niemeyer, Vanity Fair writer Paul Goldberger tries to put his finger on just why the death of the famed Brazilian architect has meant so much to so many people—most of whom, surely the majority of whom, have never set foot in Brasília.
"You could call Niemeyer the last of the true believers, but he was more than that: an extraordinary blend of passion, arrogance, and naivety, seasoned, I suspect, with more than a little craftiness," Goldberger writes. "Other than his mentor, Le Corbusier, whose name was inextricably connected to modern architecture in France, I cannot think of a modern architect whose career was so profoundly tied in the public mind to the life and culture of his country. Niemeyer was not just an architect who came from Brazil; he was Brazil, as much as Pele or the samba."
Maybe there is something to that. His fans are not merely remembering Niemeyer; they are grieving for a national symbol of Brazil. At any rate, the outpouring of affection for Niemeyer continues over social media. ARCHITECT has collected just a few examples of Twitter tributes to Niemeyer.
