| Mangiarotti in uniting a functional kind of designer's intuition with a free formal solution. |
Who is he Angelo Mangiarotti
Como doorhandle exhibited at the VIII Milan Triennial (1947
prod. Olivari)
| From
the book "L'architettura presa per mano" (Hand on architecture) by Stefano Casciani,
Idea Books, Milan, 1992 Mangiarotti eludes any "stylistic" temptation with respect to both design and architecture: from a very personal interpretation of the modernist ideology - "liberal" fidelity at the origin of the functional - he designs objects that, regardless of their different scales (urbanistic, domestic, microdomestic) are nevertheless unique pieces. Consequently, his products (architecture, furniture, cutlery, vases) can be "geometric", "technologic", "organic", according to the thousands of changing conditions that influence all high quality projects. |
Chicago armchair in rigid resin (1983 prod. Skipper)
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The
first doorhandle designed by him and manufactured by Olivari (Como, 1947) is,
however, part of a genre that prevails in his work, especially as far as mass
produced objects are concerned: that which is closely related to a strictly anthropomorphic
or "naturalistic" interpretation of the project. In fact, with the Como doorhandle Mangiarotti has created a truly ergonomic form, whose curves and measures are all suited to the hand opening the door: reminiscent of Gaud"'s work, but also of Guimard's; the latter of whom created a doorhandle in ceramics with the internal cast of a clenched fist. This handle was the first of a series of "organic" pieces, to which also Nizzoli, BBPR and Albini were to contribute. More than forty years later Mangiarotti has, on the request of the Olivari brothers, entirely re-conceived the idea of the doorhandle. Having observed how frequently a person approaches a door in a diagonal position, he has developed a suitable solution: the plan of the doorhandle presents an angular layout, and a light impression facilitates the grasp. Mangiarotti has again succeeded in uniting a functional kind of designer's intuition with a free formal solution. |