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IN QUEST OF COMFORT: CARLO LODOLI, THEORIST OF ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE AND FURNITURE DESIGNER

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2019

Louis Cellauro
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Abstract

Lodoli's subversive doctrine of truth-to-material was the most original and influential aspect of his approach to architecture. His concept of organic architecture, the main focus of this paper, has been less studied and is accordingly less well understood, although it was an important facet of his design theory. Lodoli applied his novel approach most obviously to the design of furnishings, particularly of chairs, but also extended it to architecture in a project for the refurbishment of the pilgrims’ hostel at San Francesco della Vigna, in Venice, the only instance in which he put his architectural ideas into practice. In Lodoli's thinking, great importance was given to the notion of comfort, and in this respect he shared new concerns common among French architects and furniture makers of the Enlightenment. Indeed, his ideas about architecture and design owe much to the influence of the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason, truth and universal criticism.

La dottrina rivoluzionaria di Carlo Lodoli sull'importanza del materiale è stato l'aspetto più importante e influente del suo approccio all'architettura. La sua concezione di ‘architettura organica’, che costituisce il fulcro del presente articolo, è stata studiata in maniera meno approfondita e conseguentemente compresa in maniera meno soddisfacente, sebbene si tratti di un interessante aspetto della sua teoria riguardante la fase progettuale. Lodoli ha applicato il suo approccio innovativo nel modo più evidente alla progettazione di arredi, in particolar modo sedie, ma lo ha anche esteso all'architettura nel progetto per il restauro dell'ostello per i pellegrini di San Francesco della Vigna a Venezia, il solo caso in cui ha messo in pratica le sue teorie architettoniche. Nel pensiero di Lodoli grande importanza era data alla nozione di comodità, e da questo punto di vista egli condivide preoccupazioni comuni agli architetti francesi e ai produttori di mobilio dell'età dei Lumi. Le sue idee sull'architettura e design sono sicuramente debitrici in modo consistente all'Illuminismo con la sua enfasi sulla ragione, la verità e la critica universale.

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Papers of the British School at Rome , Volume 87 , October 2019 , pp. 267 - 307
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Copyright © British School at Rome 2019 

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