Curitiba seems like a wonderful place to live, that is if you speak the lingo. Portuguese, we have been told, is difficult even for Brazilians. Language aside, Curitiba is clean and progressive with lots of parks, long wide pedestrian malls and a wonderful public transportation system. It is also a great place to break the bus trip from Iguassu to Sao Paolo and a jumping-off point to Paranagua on the coast.
After shopping for a guidebook to the birds of Brazil and picking up train tickets to Paranagua, we spent several wonderful hours at the Oscar Niemeyer Art Museum. Oscar is the most famous architect you've never heard of. Besides the museum, his work can be seen in Italy and France and he is the designer of Brasilia, the capital and only his membership in the Communist Party kept him from accepting commissions in the US.
Dancers in arabesque by Degas
The museum's architecture, beginnig with the iconic "Eye" is a major draw but we were pleasantly surprised by the art. And the free admission for senior citizens! We saw the special exhibit of 73 Degas sculptures, a decade in the making - nudes, horses and dancers, his specialty. I also loved the paintings by Brazilian Emiliano Di Cavalcanti - sometimes whimsial, sometimes social commentary - and obviously influenced by Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso, among others.
Di Cavalcanti, influenced by Gauguin
We also watched a video of an interview with Niemeyer about his approach to architecture and life which, to him, are pretty much inseparable. I am not totally comfortable with his modern style but now, at least, I understand what he intended and why.
