Sant’Elia, Antonio (1888–1916)

Antonio Sant’Elia was born in Como, Italy, 1888. He studied at the G. Castellini Arts and Crafts Institute, specializing in public works construction. After receiving his Master Builder Diploma in 1906, he joined the technical staff that was completing the Villoresi Canal. In 1913 Sant’Elia opened his own architectural practice in Milan, and he collaborated with the painter Dudreville on the national competition for the new headquarters of the Cassa di Risparmio, Piazza delle Erbe, in Verona. Sant’Elia joined the Volunteer Cyclists in World War I and died during the eighth battle of Isonzo in October 1916.

Although Sant’Elia’s early influence was Art Nouveau, he was certainly aware of Frank Lloyd Wright, and much of his early work indicates that he looked to Otto Wagner and the Secessionists for inspiration (Caramel and Longatti, 1987). Sant’Elia was grounded in his knowledge of industrialization and changes in the contemporary city (Caramel and Longatti, 1987). He produced a series of drawings of his vision of the future city (the Città Nuova) and, with the Nuove Tendenze group, he exhibited these drawings along with his first version of the Manifesto of Futurist Architecture. As a result of this exhibition, he met members of the futurist movement, who embraced his vision; and his work
thereafter became associated with this movement.

Sant’Elia’s concern for a new city that embraced technology is evident in both the subjects and techniques of his sketches. Many of them are not connected to commissioned projects, but are explorations of the monumental qualities of the power of technology, with subjects such as railway and power stations. This sketch, dated 1913, shows just such a monumentally scaled building, given the title of power station. What makes this building seem so powerful is its lack of context. Its stark, dramatic view speaks of the building’s function, not the human experience.
The straight, possibly ruled lines were reinforced through repetition, with lines drawn on top of each other. The overall effect accents the nervous vibrations of electricity which flows through the building. Another technique which adds to its monumental quality is the sharp angles of the perspective view. In most of Sant’Elia’s sketches, he uses perspective instead of plans or elevations; he needed to envision the building as a whole impression and was not concerned with the nature of the interior spaces. He was representing the compelling expression of movement and ‘swiftness’ of the structure terms he referred to in his Manifesto. He uses two-point perspective, with the points very close to each other, to increase the height of the building. He also employed a low horizon line to contribute to this
impression.

The items that represent the power of electricity – the turbines – are prominently placed to the front of this station. They allow the building to speak about its function, proving that the architecture of the future has a role in creating a new society. The sketch lacks building details such as windows, doors, or material qualities, giving it a streamlined, machine-like feel. This ‘machine aesthetic’ was also mentioned in the tenets of the Manifesto: ‘[w]e have got to invent and remake the futurist city similar to an immense, tumultuous, agile, mobile building site, dynamic in every part, and the futurist building similar to a gigantic machine’ (Caramel and Longatti, 1987, p. 302).

Sant’Elia likely had full knowledge that many of his designs would not be built. This is reflected in his connection with the expressionist movement of the period and the ‘paper’ architecture resulting from both the ideology of impending modernism or the general economic depression of the times that prevented much building.