ART & ARCHITECTURE / EUR / ROME
The shape of things is an effect of the time when they were designed. A chair has a certain expression because of the techniques available at the time it was made, as well as of the then-current ideas of what a chair should look like. This is true of smaller things, such as accessories, tools and utensils, as well as of things designed a larger scale, like buildings, infrastructure and city planning. To explore the aesthetics of everyday life is thus to better understand the ideas of the past. A building is not only a place to live but can also be viewed as a proposal, by the architects and the commissioners, of what one’s surroundings should look like and what ideas it should represent.
¨The planning of buildings and cities mirror the aspirations and dreams of the ruling class.¨
Ideology and architecture have a particularly strong relationship with one another. The planning of buildings and cities mirror the aspirations and dreams of the ruling class. In 1936, Benito Mussolini chose an area, south of central Rome, to be the place for the upcoming World fair E42 (short for Esposizione 1942 and later changed to EUR, Esposizione Universale di Roma). Here, he would showcase the beauty of fascist ideology by creating a city with strong links to Roman building traditions and aesthetic ideals, in this way using the symbols of the past to underpin the strength of his own political movement. The size of EUR is the equivalent of Rome’s Centro Storico, subtly alluding to how a new historical period, similar to the Roman Empire, now was about to commence in Italy. EUR was to be inaugurated in time to celebrate the twenty year-anniversary of fascism, but came instead to represent its demise. Initially planned under the direction of Marcello Piacentini, the design was clearly inspired by a combination of Roman imperial town planning and Italian rationalism, which led to a minimalist form of neoclassicism, marked also by a consistent use of symmetry and simplicity.
Its most famous building, Palazzo della Cività Italiana, is a good example of the many interconnections between fascist and Roman architecture. In everyday speech, it is referred to as the Colosseo Quadrato, as its design is inspired by Rome’s ancient Colosseum, but translated into a square space by the three architects Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto La Padula and Mario Romano. The goal was to show the world the superiority of Italian architecture, but due to the aftermath of the World War II, the building was never used as originally intended. Its strict and clean surface, lacking ornaments, communicate a uniform structure in line with fascist architectural ideals. On all four sides of the building, the inscription “Un popolo di poeti, di artisti, di eroi, di santi, di pensatori, di scienziati, di navigatori, di trasmigratori” (in English: “A people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators, transmigrators”) is clearly visible.
In a documentary shown on Italian television in 1972, Federico Fellini summarized his view of the Colosseo Quadrato, calling it a “house built for ghosts, or statues”, referring to its metaphysical aspects, ultimately stating that the entire EUR area, “gives an impression of lightness, of living inside a painting… There are no rules inside a painting, except for aesthetic ones. It is a decadent neighbourhood, which fascinates me, because it’s the product of some sort of delirious dream that was broken and then transformed into something else”.
¨In many ways, the design and layout of the area operate as three-dimensional propaganda, promoting the image of a strong and powerful government. ¨
Fascist architecture gained popularity with the rise of modernism and ultranationalism. The philosophy behind the style is that it should showcase a unified, economically stable nation, in stark contrast to the chaos that had ensued after the first world war. In many ways, the design and layout of the area operate as three-dimensional propaganda, promoting the image of a strong and powerful government.
¨Purposefully, the buildings were designed to convey a sense of awe and intimidation to the visitors. '¨
Purposefully, the buildings were designed to convey a sense of awe and intimidation to the visitors. Interestingly, they were not only planned to be impressive during the reign of fascism. Materials such as limestone, as well as other durable stones including tuff and marble, were used in order to ensure that the buildings also would become beautiful ruins. The intention was that EUR, after the period of fascist rule had ended, would appear in the same grand but derelict state that defines the ruins of the Roman empire in central Rome – material memories of a time of greatness. For fascism, however, this period barely begun before its political and ideological influence came to an end.
