Brazilian architecture

архитектура Бразилии

Under the Brazilian constitution, it is also the responsibility of state and municipal governments, within their respective spheres, to provide for the preservation of items of local or regional interest such as distinctively Brazilian architecture, which is, of course, of national interest.

What survives of Brazilian architecture and other cultural expressions are those items which, for some reason, remain on the edge of new cycles of development which begin after the decline of the old era. Also preserved are those buildings which maintain their original function unaltered, such as churches, fortifications and certain public buildings. There still remains the ruins of others, historical witnesses sometimes even of the facts which caused their destruction.

In Brazil, those recognized by Unesco as World Heritage Sites include the city of Olinda, in Pernambuco; the Historic Centre of Salvador with extraordinary examples of Brazilian architecture, in Bahia; the city of Ouro Preto, the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Matosinhos, at Congonhas do Campo, and the city of Diamantina, all in the state of Minas Gerais. The ruins of Missões, in Rio Grande do Sul; the city of São Luís, in Maranhão, and the national capital Brasília, as well as the natural heritage sites of Capivara National Park, in Piauí, and Iguaçu National Park, in Paraná.

The intermarrying of Portuguese with Indians and later with Africans, the invasions by the Dutch and French, the period of rule by the Spanish crown and the later immigration, principally of Italians, Germans and Japanese, all contributed to forge different cultures into a Brazilian ethnic identity.

In combination with the different environmental conditions in Brazil, this mixture of cultures has resulted in a diversity of techniques and use of space - and a uniquely Brazilian architecture. Imported European architecture (and other arts) have been brazilianised by this cultural cross fertilization, leaving Brazilian architecure and arts with their own distinguishing identity in every period.

The settlement of Brazil commenced along the coastline. It was concerned with the extraction of timber and the cultivation of sugar cane, and was limited by the provisions of the Treaty of Tordesillas. The main motives for the penetration of the interior were the presence of Indians in São Paulo, the raising of cattle in Bahia, and mining in São Paulo (Ribeira Valley), Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso and Bahia (Serra de Jacobina and Chapada Diamantina).

In the eighteenth century the development of Brazilian architecture took a new course under the influence of French culture. Classicism was gradually introduced, in a haphazard way, and became stronger after the French Mission brought over by João VI. Curiously, classicism in Brazil incorporated 'caboclo' styles (also present in the fine arts), which can be seen even in the works of Grandjean de Montigny, the architect who was head of the Mission.

The nineteenth century saw the influence of European, especially English, industrial architecture. This was particularly evident in the import of prefabricated iron and steel structures for the construction of institutional buildings, such as theatres, markets, railway stations, viaducts etc.

Painting and sculpture also collaborated with this academic decorative style. With rapid incursions by art nouveau and art deco, the way was open to the renewal of Brazilian art and architecture in the twentieth century.