The 1960s, Irony and Rationalim In The Long P
“Riccardo Manzi is not a graphic artist. He is a painter, a philosopher, a humourist. His exhibitions and books have been acclaimed by the general public and critics.” This is how, in an article entitled “The graphic artists club”, Pirelli magazine no. 4 of 1961 describes one of the most representative and prolific interpreters of Pirelli’s visual communication in the 1960s: the years of the Cinturato, a revolutionary tyre that became a benchmark for the entire automotive world. The same article from 1961 reveals a curious aspect of Manzi: “He’s terrified of machines. He doesn’t know how to drive, and he can’t use an electric whisk, or even an electric razor: when faced with any mechanical contraption, he just yells and runs away.” And this explains a lot about the imagination of the painter-philosopher-humourist, who was born in Lazio but became Milanese by adoption. His little hominids always make purely jocular use of tyres, pulling them down over their eyes, using them as an umbrella, or turning them into an elegant hat. The Cinturato, Inverno and BS3 tyres are so safe that you can “drive blindfolded” and you don’t need to worry “about snow and ice”, or you can just use them as elegant objects. Just as their creator, who is terrified of machines, would prefer to do.
At the opposite extreme from Manzi’s meta-message is the “N+R” campaign of 1961 and 1962, which promoted the safe, ultra-efficient tyre with a nylon and rayon casing. “Their safety is worth more than a thousand lire” warn the posters created by Ugo Mulas, Giulio Confalonieri, and llio Negri, in which photos of children and puppies are followed by long, meticulous explanations and the results of physical tests. Rational, direct, and effective, the “N+R” tyre is perfect for the father who wants a truly safe product for his car and his loved ones. It is no coincidence that the logo, with its clean lines and use of colour, is the work of the hyper-rationalist Bob Noorda – another great name in the universe of artists who have worked with Pirelli during its long history of communication.
“Riccardo Manzi is not a graphic artist. He is a painter, a philosopher, a humourist. His exhibitions and books have been acclaimed by the general public and critics.” This is how, in an article entitled “The graphic artists club”, Pirelli magazine no. 4 of 1961 describes one of the most representative and prolific interpreters of Pirelli’s visual communication in the 1960s: the years of the Cinturato, a revolutionary tyre that became a benchmark for the entire automotive world. The same article from 1961 reveals a curious aspect of Manzi: “He’s terrified of machines. He doesn’t know how to drive, and he can’t use an electric whisk, or even an electric razor: when faced with any mechanical contraption, he just yells and runs away.” And this explains a lot about the imagination of the painter-philosopher-humourist, who was born in Lazio but became Milanese by adoption. His little hominids always make purely jocular use of tyres, pulling them down over their eyes, using them as an umbrella, or turning them into an elegant hat. The Cinturato, Inverno and BS3 tyres are so safe that you can “drive blindfolded” and you don’t need to worry “about snow and ice”, or you can just use them as elegant objects. Just as their creator, who is terrified of machines, would prefer to do.
At the opposite extreme from Manzi’s meta-message is the “N+R” campaign of 1961 and 1962, which promoted the safe, ultra-efficient tyre with a nylon and rayon casing. “Their safety is worth more than a thousand lire” warn the posters created by Ugo Mulas, Giulio Confalonieri, and llio Negri, in which photos of children and puppies are followed by long, meticulous explanations and the results of physical tests. Rational, direct, and effective, the “N+R” tyre is perfect for the father who wants a truly safe product for his car and his loved ones. It is no coincidence that the logo, with its clean lines and use of colour, is the work of the hyper-rationalist Bob Noorda – another great name in the universe of artists who have worked with Pirelli during its long history of communication.
