"Começar" - Almada Negreiros
Animated geometric precision
Geometric construction, where straight and curved lines intersect
In 1968, Almada Negreiros signed «Começar», the panel in the entrance hall of the main building of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. It is a geometric construction, where straight and curved lines intersect on the limestone wall.
ODE TO GEOMETRY
“Começar” dates back to 1968 and reveals the master’s fascination with geometry, this “kind of perfection”, the language of the future, a symbol of human intelligence.
According to the author, “Começar” is a journey to the roots of culture, in search of the canon, the set of rules that crosses time and civilizations.
As it is an extensive and complex work with a lot of detail, it is divided into five distinct parts for analysis.
THE RESULT
A web page dedicated to exploring the work “Começar” by Almada Negreiros was developed.
This page has animations (in JavaScript) and images of some of the drawings, as well as a glossary. It is hoped that the user can access this work with a renewed perspective, and with more information to decode the last artistic testimony of this unique figure of 20th century Portuguese culture.
This project made it possible to build the work step by step, with the help of color demarcation.
