The conception of architecture as a constantly evolving entity (which came to Villanueva through Zevi's defense of organic architecture), and of the interest in Cubism as indispensable for the appreciation of spaces which cannot be captured in one glance, went hand-in-hand with the evocation of the total artistic space of Neoplasticism and Brazilian architecture of those years. All this came together in Villanueva's Venezuelan tropics and further inspired his intuitions.

But none of these influences would have meant much without Villanueva's ability to fuse such diverse elements into a single work. This sensibility is evidenced by the self-assured simplicity with which great treasures of universal art are incorporated into the construction, including large-scale works such as those by Leger, Laurens, Vasarely, Pevsner, Lobo, Calder and Arp. These works are not treated as exceptional objects in themselves but rather as vehicles for fulfilling the artistic potentialities of a space. It is, moreover, in the subtle encounter of the everyday with the exceptional, that the sublimity in the heart of this center of learning is perceived.

Covered spaces, together with veils which produce moving shadows on the floors and walls, predominate in the main public places of the Central University campus, in the spaces for walking and for resting, the thoroughfares and plazas. The roofing and screens take on various forms thanks to the genius of the constructors and the plastic possibilities of concrete.

The space known as the "Plaza Cubierta" (Covered Plaza) in the Caracas campus recalls the informality of our jungle settlements, but also the complexity of living organisms: floors that look wet and refreshing and roughly finished roofs that open up to reveal extraordinary examples of western art; horizontal surfaces that are superposed but do not come into contact; diverse reticule that seem to have shifted away from each other in the space; cuttings in the floor for plants that do not correspond to the openings in the ceiling for light. All these subtle movements play their part in bringing to life a space that cannot be captured at first glance, but demands our time- and our own movement- for us to form our personal view.

The interior of the "Aula Magna" (Main Hall) of the University, constitutes the height of achievement with respect to the sublime. The acoustic conditioning transcends technical requirements and becomes an integrated part of the artistic hole flooding the space with multi-colored clouds. The size of the hall itself and the huge flying panels designed by Calder, create a feeling of awe in the face of this unnatural spectacle, the product of the sensibility of the artist, the technicians and the architect himself. So many expectations are brought together and synthesized in this work of total art.

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