Lisa Ponti …così il disegno sa dove atterrare

Although she had always drawn, Lisa Ponti did not hold her first solo exhibition until 1992, when she was 70. Immediacy and directness – applied to the paper in decisive, dynamic strokes – are what distinguish Ponti’s works, as well as her wonderful poetry, fine humour and restrained elegance. Her drawings were exclusively done on sheets of A4 paper. “È un bene usare un foglio sempre uguale, cosi il disegno sa dove atterrare” (It’s good always to use the same size of paper so the drawings know where to land), said the artist. And her drawings are in fact like flights of thought, captured on paper in just a few minutes. Ponti combines a simple lead or coloured pencil with watercolours, with minimal collages, or she experiments with the colourings of burnt paper.

Lisa Ponti’s life was marked by her many varied activities. She worked with her father, the famous architect and designer Gio Ponti, from 1940 to 1979, first in the editorial office of Stile and later as editor-in-chief of Domus, also directing the magazine’s art pages until 1986. She authored countless writings and interviews on art, architecture and design as well as writing several children’s books.

Obwohl sie schon immer gezeichnet hatte, realisierte Lisa Ponti ihre erste Einzelausstellung erst 1992 im Alter von 70 Jahren. Unmittelbarkeit und Direktheit – in entschiedenen, dynamischen Strichen zu Papier gebracht – zeichnen Pontis Werke aus, ebenso wie ihre wunderbare Poesie, der feine Humor und ihre zurückhaltende Eleganz. Ihre Zeichnungen realisierte sie ausschließlich auf A4 Blättern. "È un bene usare un foglio sempre uguale, cosi il disegno sa dove atterrare.“ (Es ist gut, immer das gleiche Blattformat zu verwenden, so wissen die Zeichnungen, wo sie landen können) sagte die Künstlerin. Und tatsächlich sind ihre Zeichnungen wie Gedankenflüge – in wenigen Minuten auf Papier gebannt. Den einfachen Bleistift oder Farbstift kombiniert Ponti mit Aquarellen, mit minimalen Collagen, oder sie experimentiert  mit der Färbung des angebrannten Papiers. Her works have appeared at numerous exhibitions, including at the Galleria Franco Toselli, Milan (1992), the Galleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna, Rome (2005), the Victor Saavedra Gallery, Barcelona (2009), the Palazzina Azzurra di San Benedetto del Tronto (2011), the Galleria Milano di Carla Pellegrini (2011) and the Galleria Federico Vavassori, Milan (2017).

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