Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by Umberto Boccioni.
Together, they helped shape a new, modern style of art that still has staying power today.
This group firmly looked forward and couldnt get enough of what they saw.
“Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” by Umberto Boccioni. 1913. (Photo:Wikipedia)
For the Futurists, the past was something to look down on.
Airplanes and automobiles symbolized the speed they craved and the dynamism with which they saw the world.
He published hisManifesto of Futurismin 1909, first in theLa gazzetta dellEmiliaand then in Frances daily newspaperLe Figaro.
Italian futurists Luigi Russolo, Carlo Carrà, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Umberto Boccioni and Gino Severini in front of “Le Figaro,” Paris, February 9, 1912 (Photo:Wikipedia)
In the text, its also clear that Marinetti wishes to reestablish Italy as a new cultural center.
For the Futurists, this wasnt enough.
Futurists saw much more beauty in the great industrial discoveries of the 20th century than classical painting and sculpture.
“Dynamism of a Cyclist” by Umberto Boccioni. 1913. (Photo:Wikipedia)
A racing motor car…is more beautiful than theVictory of Samothrace.
That would come later, with the 1914Technical Manifesto for Futurist Painting.
Dynamism of a Cyclist by Umberto Boccioni.
“Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash” by Giacomo Balla. 1912. (Photo:Wikipedia)
A hallmark of Futurist art is the depiction of speed and movement.
Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash by Giacomo Balla.
(Photo:Wikipedia)
Umberto Boccioni explained the principles of Futurist art bydistinguishingit from another avant-garde movementImpressionism.
“Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin” by Gino Severini. 1912. (Photo:Wikipedia)
The Futurists were also highly influenced byCubism, which was first brought to the group by Gino Severini.
Aerodynamic and fluid, its emblematic of the painters new obsession with sculpture and its ability to suggest motion.
Interestingly, the sculpture was never cast in bronze during Boccionis lifetime.
F.T. Marinetti and Benedetta Cappa by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (Photo: Public domain,via Wikimedia Commons)
His original plaster cast is located in Sao Pauloscontemporary artmuseum.
Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin by Gino Severini.
(Photo:Wikipedia)
Female Futurist Artists
F.T.
“Brooklyn Bridge” by Joseph Stella. 1919-1920. (Photo:Wikipedia)
She contorted her body by dramatically arching backward and forwards in a mechanical motion.
Bice Lazzaripainted with what she called the absolute colorsblack, white, red, and yellow.
Decline and Legacy of Futurism
Brooklyn Bridge by Joseph Stella.
“Speeding Motorboat” by Benedetta Cappa. 1923. (Photo:WikiArt)
(Photo:Wikipedia)
The beginning of World War I signaled the end of the original Futurist group.
Boccioni created only one painting during the war and was drafted into the Italian army.
It was a huge blow for the group when he was killed in 1916 during a training exercise.
After the end of the war, Marinetti revived the movement.
This period was later calledSecond Futurismwhich became associated with Fascism.
Post-World War I Futurism was dedicated to new types of expression.
In particular,Aeropaintingbecame a popular style in the 1920s.
It combined the love for flight with aerial landscapes and was often used in propaganda.
Not limited to landscapes, Aeropainting was actually varied in its subject matter and remained popular until 1940.
After the defeat of Mussolini and Marinettis death in 1944, Futurism as a formal movement was dead.
Speeding Motorboat by Benedetta Cappa.
