ABSTRACT
At first, Ferro dedicated himself to the study of art history, completely oblivious to architecture. Together they would be known as the Arquitetura Nova group and they began an intense period of creative activity, encompassing painting, architecture, scenography, printmaking, theatre and theoretical studies. Ferro began to look for an answer in Marxist theory for the outdated and violent conditions of architecture's mode of production. Artigas was always mindful of the political meanings of architecture in history and economics, but he never gave up the artist's prerogative and his alliance with the progressive sectors of the bourgeoisie who supported the development of productive forces in Brazil. It was then that he published his first texts, analysing the production of the popular house and the contemporary Brazilian architecture. In 1970 Ferro was arrested and tortured. During his absence, he was dismissed from the university for having abandoned his work a decision that was never reviewed.
