Angiolo Mazzoni: Mussolinian aesthetics applied to the state architecture. Relatioships with the plastic arts and reminiscences in contemporary city´s architecture

Abstract

Angiolo Mazzoni, an Italian architect in the inter-war period, was linked to Futurism and Novecento from a workload that was an extension of the political regime. His most well-known piece, the Thermal Station in Santa Maria Novella was a consolation prize that came from the controversy that his project, Santa Maria Novella Station, suscitated in Florence (1929). Based on the Futuristic and Constructivist aspects of the Thermal Station, Mazzonis' work acquired a Novecentist tone, metaphysical even, following painters like De Chirico, Carlo Carra and Mario Sironi. His works were a reflection of the political and cultural landscape, like Calambrone (1925-26), the designs for post offices made between 1925 and 1935, as well as his work for Ferrovie dello Stato. Those projects made him one of the architects that translated fascist aesthetics into its buildings, creating an iconography linked to the political power in Mussolini's Italy. This lecture will be centered around Mazzoni's styles, his relationships with the metaphysical artists, his contributions to Futurist, as well as the links between this architectural style and Aldo Rossi's, or Massimo Scolari's, where the different projects and buildings are related to the big financial and cultural corporations of their time.