LINA BO BARDI
Lina Bo Bardi was born in Italy in 1914 and passed away in Brazil in 1992. She was an Italian-born Brazilian architect, furniture designer, set designer, journalist and activist whose work combines a Modernist sensitivity with a profound commitment to the preservation of the vernacular and a design process guided by social responsibility.
Today, Bo Bardi is considered one of the most prominent and consequential Modernist architects, and her abundant work is appreciated for its simplicity, adherence to Modernism, and deep contemplation as to the ways in which architecture can also reflect the common, the vernacular, and the handcrafted as a characteristic part of a contemporary culture.
Formative years and professional life in Italy
She studied in the architecture school in the University of Rome and after that she moved to Milan, where she worked as an editor in the Quiaderni di Domus magazine.
During World War II she faced a difficult period since her office got bombed. At that moment she founded along with Bruno Zevi the Cultura della Vita publication.
Life in Brazil
Later on she got married to her husband Pietro Maria Bardi, with whom she moved to Brazil. There, she expanded her influence and became one of the most influential modernist architects. She stood out for her comprehension of Brazilian culture from an anthropological point of view, attentive especially to the convergence between Vanguard and popular tradition.
In 1950, the couple founded the magazine Habitat, which centered on the idea of interiors as habitats that maximize human potential, and Lina Bo Bardi served as its editor until 1953.
In 1951, Bo Bardi became a Brazilian citizen, started to teach industrial design at the MASP, and created one of her landmark designs: the Casa de Vidro (Glass House), a home for her and her husband on a 7,000-square-meter lot that had formerly been a tea farm on the side of a hill in the Morumbi neighborhood of São Paulo.
Some of her architectural work:
“There is a pleasure in the victory and wonder of being simple.”
LINA BO BARDI
This quote has made me stop and think of how nowadays we are always trying to better everything, trying to innovate creating crazy ideas and concepts, and sometimes we forget about simplicity. The quote reminds me of another quote which is «sometimes less is more». Something I really liked about her Lina’s work is the simplicity. Her work isn’t crazy or very extravagant, yet it still has caught my attention. Something about the way everything is designed, even if it’s simple, it is creative and eyecatching.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Reflections on: Quiero ser arquitecto by Campo Baeza
The text “Quiero ser arquitecto” by Alberto Campo Baeza explains from the author’s point of view what it is to be an architect and how and what it takes to become one.
In the beginning of the text, there is a poem by William Blake which sums up the goal of architecture which is to build dreams. Then he proceeds to explain how architects are all at once artists, technicians, creators, thinkers and constructors of ideas. They must learn and have a sense of space, and, in order to have these skills, they must train very hard. This leads to a series of ways in which future architecture students can prepare themselves, by drawing, photographing, analyzing, writing and reading. The author focuses on the importance of the subjects: projects, history, structures and construction, which are the ones that make us understand the way architecture works the most, and how it is possible. During the entire text, Campos emphasizes on the importance of being cultured and for this suggests reading a lot mainly poetry. Finally, he talks on the professional outings of the degree, and how architecture is a very complete career and offers you a wide knowledge.
As for me, I can relate to many of the author’s opinions. From my point of view an architect is an artist that is able to imagine or think of an idea and then build it, satisfying someones necessities as well as creating art that is beautiful and functional.
I have always been interested in how things are made or built, as well as in art and creation in every form. And this is the reason I chose the Architecture degree. I always had this dilemma on whether to study the arts or science baccalaureate, because these are the two things I enjoy the most. I’m a very curious person, so I love to learn new things and to experiment and learn how everything in the world works (which is the scientist part in me), but at the same time I also love to create, to innovate and be creative (which is my artist part) so after doing the scientific baccalaureate, I decided to study the architecture degree, since it combines both things.
I have always been a hard working and optimistic person, which I believe are two important traits an architect should have. However, although I already do some of the things the author recommends in order to prepare for being an architect, there is always more things to do to improve, som recently I have been trying to implement some other things into my hobbies such as photographing buildings whenever I’m walking down the streets, trying to capture the shades and lighting; reading more and learning a little bit more about architecture and new architects I didn’t know before.
I have been told about how architecture is a very hard and long journey (just as Alberto says), however, I like challenges and I think the effort it requires is rewarded by the satisfaction of seeing your dreams and goals come true, and if not, all the knowledge you gain it is also a great prize.
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