"Music Always Has"

Silence in green

My prayers have finally been answered: a handy version of Taschen’s monumental book about Gio Ponti (1891-1979) has just been published. Although one of Italy’s most significant architects and designers deserves nothing less than a behemoth of a monograph, a smaller and more accessible version is very welcome.

The book still contains a chronological catalogue of works, ranging from Ponti’s early houses over the foundation of Domus magazine and first design works to his late churches and the Denver Art Museum. Each project is documented in photo spreads, drawings and plans that have been reduced compared to the original edition. The former are preceded by a number of essays that address various aspects of Gio Ponti’s career, e.g. his design philosophy or his criticism of industrial design but they also shed light on the unique climate of 1950s Milan. The essays provide additional and necessary context to Ponti’s overabundant creativity and also trace the origins of his approach towards architecture, design, lifestyle and spatial experience, an approach best described as Gesamtkunstwerk.

This approach is also what continues to resound from reading and browsing the book: Gio Ponti ingeniously combined and adjusted all aspects of a building, an interior or just a room to make it an experience of joy and beauty.

in my heart is a christmas tree farm