Production of a modern capital

political concessions and contradictions in the choice of artists and architects in the construction of Brasília

Abstract

Starting from a look at a Brazilian city that has been modern since its conception – Brasília – this article aims to understand a city whose urbanism, architecture and art result from a series of ideas, values, discourses and wills determined by dominant groups. Based on Mário Pedrosa and Ferreira Gullar as central figures for the construction of a critical historiography of Brasília, the aim is to re-discuss the process of conception and representation of the capital during the period of its construction and inauguration in the field of architecture and plastic arts. So we observe how much and in what aspects the design of the capital was manipulated in order to meet the “customers’ taste”. In this case, considering the proportions, to the taste of numerous and varied customers, as well as the pretensions of the jury of the judging committee, JK's predispositions, and mainly, the taste of the international perspective. A revisit of this path leads to the identification of ambiguities, gaps and reasons for concessions and demands met; presenting how amidst the aesthetic and conceptual quality of the city there was also a fertile ground for contradictions arising from the agencies that surrounded it, in part not consistent with the desired modernity project itself.