Test your design IQ
MANILA, Philippines - Who is this Italian painter, sculptor, interior decorator, and engraver who created more than 11,000 items, many featuring the face of a woman, operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri, as a motif?
He found Cavalieri’s face in a 19th-century magazine. When asked what inspired him to create more than 500 variations of the face of a woman, he replied: “I don’t know. I began to make them and I never stopped.”
The tema e variazioni (theme and variation) plate series based on Cavalieri’s face numbered more than 350.
Other common features in his work include heavy use of black and white, the sun and time. His style is reminiscent of Greek and Roman architecture, from which he was heavily influenced.
He lived most of his life in Milan, attending the Brera Art Academy from 1930 to 1932 when he was expelled for insubordination.
In 1933, his first artwork was shown as part of a student exhibition at Milano University. Also that year, a series of scarves in printed silk was exhibited at the Milan Triennale.
In 1940, he met Gio Ponti and went on to design “The Lunar” illustraded calendar book for him. Two years later, he created frescoes for the Palazzo Bo in Padova.
During World War II, he went into exile in Switzerland from 1943 to 1946. In 1947, he exhibited a series of motifs for ceramics at the Triennale, commissioned again by Gio Ponti.
He decorated the interior of the San Remo Casino in 1950, and completed the first example of a complete interior of the Casa Lucano, in collaboration with Ponti, in 1951. He went on to exhibit his “Architettura” furniture during the Ninth Triennale, and created the “Palladiana” chest of drawers.
He is celebrated as being among the most original creative talents of the 20th century. During his career, he created a visual vocabulary that is instantly recognizable and unceasingly engaging. He designed a magical world, saturated in image and color and filled with whimsy and wit.
Today, it is most common to see his style in fashion and room accessories such as scarfs, ties, lamps, furniture, china plates and tables. His son, Barnaba, continues to design in his father’s name.
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Last week’s question: Who is the African-American architect who designed the homes of many movie stars, as well as other public and private buildings?
Answer: Paul Revere Williams
Winner: Maria Leonora Del Pilar of Makati City
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Text your answer to 0927-9148817 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1950, 634-1943. Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.
