Pro Ligno (Dec 2015)
POSTWAR EUROPEAN CHAIR DESIGN. A COMEBACK OF THE STYLE CONNECTION
Abstract
The paper presents the results of studies and research aimed at identifying significant concepts of the design process dynamics of two European designers, Gió Ponti (Italy) and Hans Wegner (Denmark). Two of their major chair designs, the Wishbone Chair (Wegner, 1944-49) and the Superleggera Chair (Ponti, 1951-57) were chosen as study cases. Their historical concept sources were carefully investigated and documented, since in the postwar years a tendency towards disregarding the dogmatic functionality of the interwar avant-garde furniture design occurred, making place for a different kind of innovation that did not contradict the natural evolution of form and function, but introduced an inherent elegance of form, as well as exceptional craftsmanship seen as adding value to the industrial production. Formal, compositional, structural and ergonomic elements were analysed, measurements of dimensions and angles were made and compared, sitting positions were visualised, in an attempt to unveil crucial aspects of specific design insights. The good understanding of the style connections, of the significant construction details that confirm the innovative, functional and well-balanced appearance of these chairs, of the careful selection of materials that characterised postwar austerity, contributed to an already confirmed investigative approach, which may be seen as a useful instrument of knowledge not only for design education, but also for design historians, furniture designers, manufacturers and artisans.
