Faces of ceramic
Faces of ceramic. Why this title? Since a long time ago I wanted to write an article on the ceramists, their background and how they work. While I was visiting a fair I got the idea of photographing their faces and expressions, hence the title "Faces of ceramic."
Why has the ceramic industry had such a great development in our Province of Vicenza and in particular Nove and Bassano? It all dates back to 1728 when the Venetian Senate gave tax breaks to those who would be able to present products of high quality ceramics to compete with the booming Chinese porcelain and Dutch majolica.
The moment was propitious for Giovanni Battista Antonibon who founded what would become the most important ceramics factory in the Republic of Venice. This was the spark that gave rise to high quality ceramics in the Veneto Region in early 1700.
Leaving aside the historical background, we come to the present day, immediately after the Second War there was a continuous rise of new companies, many of the skilled workers, painters, in order to compete with the booming Chinese porcelain and Dutch majolica, after having gained experience in different companies more or less important, decided to open their own companies leading to the setting up of about 350 companies producing ceramics in Vicenza.
Now who exactly is a ceramic entrepreneur in the province of Vicenza? He is a person who is often the son of a family of ceramists, active for more than a generation, and that is why ceramics is part of his life, we can say that it is in his blood as it runs in the family.
Over the years we have been through several crises, more or less deep, but our ceramic entrepreneurs have succeeded in almost all cases in changing and re-evaluating the decorative patterns and characteristic shapes of their production according to the ever-changing market demands.
In a few years we have witnessed the growth of productive as well as stylistic quality standards. This has enabled these new products to conquer and enter the most demanding luxury markets, where customers are looking for big brands of “Made in Italy” that are usually well known in luxury stores around the world.
Entrepreneurs for whom the "Made in Italy" is not a marketing choice but their craftsmen’s need, Entrepreneurs wanting to take care of every person working at the factory and cooperating with their workers who know more details of this craft and care truly for the product. Entrepreneurs and workers' children of the same Earth and joined by a workplace culture of ceramics that comes from centuries of history.
We know some of these business owners..
https://ceramics.it/eng/curiosity-from-the-net/faces-of-ceramic.html#sigFreeId1e54692de5
Danilo Rigon of www.ceramics.it
