Un saludo a Don Amadeo Dell'acqua

En uno de mis viajes para organizar el encuentro de arte pùblico y educación en la ciudad de Mendoza, Mariana y Rodrigo me llevaron a ver unos bellísimos frescos, bastante deteriorados por la húmedad, realizados en el Correo Argentino de Mendoza a principio de los años '50 por el artista Amadeo Dell'acqua. Indagando con mis amigos mendocinos, poco supimos de la vida y obra de  este artista en Mendoza.
Me puse a "ciber" investigar y encontré a un caricaturista experto (dicho por Ricardo Halac en 1972), notable ilustrador  de libros de: Enrique de Gandía (1936),Eugenio Navas (1942),José Martinez Jerez (1934) y Galván Moreno (1931), además de ser escenógrafo, grabador y pintor egresado de la Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes en 1926. Nació en 1905 y murió en el '87 en la ciudad de Buenos Aires.
Don Amadeo pintó además en 1945 un mural de 2m X 6m en óleo sobre madera terciada en el Correo Central de Buenos Aires. Y aquí encuentro la relación con Mendoza. En una excelente investigación de Constanza Eliggi sobre la arquitectura del Correo Argentino de Berisso, di con el dato exacto.
Les dejo fotos del mural de Don Amadeo Dell'acqua en Mendoza y el link de la investigación de Constanza Eliggi, muy buena y contundente sobre la arquitectura estatal del primer y segundo gobierno justicialista (1946-1955).
Don Roberto Utrero nos comenta: 
"El Edificio del Correo de Mendoza se realiza a comienzos de la década de los cincuenta. Es parte de un conjunto de grandes obras que comienzan con el Hospital Central, la Casa de Gobierno y el Palacio de Justicia. 
En el mismo período se construye la Escuela Hogar Eva Perón en el Parque General San Martín. Todas obedecen a un criterio arquitectónico propio de esa época de esplendor que no ha sido superada y que tiene que ver con la irrupción del Estado de Bienestar.
De ahí la importancia pictórica y didáctica del Mural del Correo, en la que se evoca a Mendoza desde sus orígenes". 

Salute. M.C.

LINK A LA INVESTIGACIÓN DE CONSTANZA ELIGGI

Small Cars get Sexier

Small cars sold in America are generally cheap to buy. They also usually look cheap. That's because labor costs for building a small car aren't much less that the cost of assembling a larger car. So what suffers is appearance.

Small cars use less material than larger cars, but not grossly less. What they don't usually have are parts made from top-quality materials. That is, instrument panel knobs and switches are made of cheap plastic, seats are simple and covered with comparatively inexpensive cloth, wheels feature small hubcaps or phoney-metallic disks made of plastic and so forth. Body shapes tend to be simple as well. Rather than fluid lines and dips and creases requiring multiple metal press strikes, sheet metal is usually shaped using as few strikes as possible to cut fabrication costs.

A major exception to all this was the original Volkswagen Beetle that hit American shores in the 1950s. VWs, while not luxurious, were clearly well made and were a sales success.

In the last few years run-of-the-mill small cars are being challenged by new models featuring styling that's as flashy as that used on much more expensive models. Hyundai and Ford are leading the charge; if their sales are good, other makers will have to follow suit.

Gallery

Chevrolet Cobalt - 2007
The Cobalt features some metal sculpting along the sides, but other body panels are generally simple. It looks cheap to me.

Kia Rio - 2009
The same goes for the Rio, a truly basic car.

Ford Focus - 2011
This is Ford's latest iteration of its popular Focus model. It's a European car with modifications required by American regulations and consumer tastes. Note the fancy sheet medal work; it's a lot classier looking than the Cobalt and Rio shown above.

Hyundai Elantra - 2011
The Elantra is also heavily sculpted, providing an image that doesn't seem cheap.