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that only a great artist, who arrived at his maturity in exists an artistic hierarchy, which relegates the ceramic
an European context in the crucial years of linguistic arts to a fundamentally artesian dimension,in a position
and formal change at the beginning of the century, subordinate with respect to the “fine” arts) left the class
could possibly have offered. Fantoni will again confront essentially withering, it, on the other hand, created the
this lesson, more as a consequence of cohabitation, opportunity to be followed by the teachers with much
while reconsidering the genesis of those linguistic more attention, creating an exclusive and confidential
coincidences in his sculptures (identifiable in the solid relationship, which in the other more crowded classes
figural compositions rigorously structured and vitally would never have been possible. Fantoni was, for a
activated by deep incisions of a French influence) that certain time, even the only student in Guerrini’s class,
found, at last, in Andreotti, a synthesis between the and the Master had such a particular consideration for
united presence of a clear and updated language with him that he regarded him almost as a son. An
the formal analytical solutions and the linearity of the indication of this particular relationship are the “slaps”
great Italian sculptural tradition. he occasionally received from Guerrini ( naturally with
A completely different path was taken, on the the authorization from Fantoni’s father with whom he
other hand, with Gianni Vagnetti, who replaced the had done his military service) when he was inattentive
architect Enrico Lusini as the teacher of Drawing and or excessively bored with the lessons which were
the Figure in Fantoni’s class in 1930. Vagnetti’s teaching particularly difficult for him like perspective and
favored, with respect to his predecessor, a more liberal shadow theory.
interpretation of the subject, without ever directly And, perhaps it is because of the care that Guerrini
interfering with the students work. While Lusini bestowed upon him that Fantoni never stopped
( perhaps mindful of a more rigid technical orientation believing that he had made the right choice,even when
due to his training as an architect) was used to the other students, who already considered themselves
correcting the drawings,Vagnetti had an extraordinary Masters of Art and were not about to recognize him as
ability to convey to the student the doubts concerning their equal, teased him by calling him “Pentoline” or
the exercise, directing the student automatically to an “little pots” because of his ceramics. Quite on the
understanding of the error. This work method,adopted contrary, that sarcastic “Get out of the way, little pots”,
many years later by Fantoni with his own students, which today he recounts rather amused, at that time
privileged the course that was to take the young caused an upheaval, a spurring, an incitement in him to
student, whose temperament was already quite formed, show everyone just what he could do and just what
to find his own stylistic mark, to strengthen his those “little pots” would have allowed him to become.
individuality that would allow him to find that specialty And, in truth, Marcello Fantoni, having just
without compare that has always distinguished his received his diploma, in 1934, immediately received a
language. very flattering offer of employment. Carlo Guerrini, in
But, it would be Carlo Guerrini who first gathered fact,was,as we have already pointed out,from 1923,the
the concrete testimonies of Fantoni’s vocation in artistic director for the ceramic manufacturer
regards to the artistic medium so natural to him. Cantagalli. He proposed that his worthy student be
Already, from the middle of the 1920’s, in fact, while hired for an integral position in the factory. Fantoni
still in the first years of school, Marcello Fantoni was was therefore received by the Commendatore
completely absorbed in the study of ceramic art. His is Bompani, the executive director, in his office in Via
a passion still in nuca, that looks to the results of Strozzi. Having learned that he was a promising young
tradition but goes searching for new formal inventions, man, Bompani offered him a position at the Cantagalli
or in any case, the fruit of his own research. His first factory and asked him to reflect upon what would be
sketches and projects, which are conserved in the Print an appropriate salary. He should then return, in a few
and Drawing Collection of the Uffizi Gallery, are days time,to communicate his decision.And so,Fantoni
testimony, as they are already bearers of a language returned to make his own proposal, which would be
which looks toward the contemporary with a decidedly quite surprising to Bompani. He said, in fact, that the
Deco taste, associated with the stylistic forms typical of salary in itself was a secondary question, and the only
Futurism which was entering into the height of its condition was that he be allowed to used his own
formal maturity in those years in Florence. Already, the name: to sign “Fantoni” on his pieces even in small
colors adopted privileged brilliant and luminous tones, letters next to the famous Florentine trademark. Quite
and already the elegant silhouettes are tending toward a a strange proposal from a twenty year old, having just
linear simplification containing sharp and imposing graduated, who was being offered an opportunity that
profiles. many artists would have accepted without hesitation.
If the scanty number of participants in the ceramic Bompani told Fantoni that he understood the
course ( a discipline, at that time, still more oppressed motivations that pushed him to impose such a clause,
than ever by the well rooted conception that there but he warned Fantoni, at that time, that the managers

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