Futurism
BURNING WITH LIFE
Dynamic, young, and energetic, Futurists embraced the new and rejected the inertia of the old with a fiery passion. Surrounded by the exponential technological growth of the industrial revolution, these artists demanded that art follow suit. They relished humankind’s dominance over nature and violently trampled over anything static with their painting, sculpture, music, and poetry. To the Futurists, matter equaled energy.
WHEN & WHERE
c. 1909–1915
Italy and Russia
The urban landscape, machines, dancers, and abstract images of movement and sound defined the Futurists’ frenetic works. These artists also utilized simultaneous moments in time, as in Cubism, but depicted moving objects—not just shifting viewpoints. They were also inspired by the energy of Seurat’s optical mixing techniques and Edward Muybridge’s photographs of animals in motion.
This movement included both the Italian and Russian Futurists, although the achievements of the more aggressive Italian group often define the movement. In 1909, Filippo Marinetti wrote the powerful Manifesto of Futurism in response to what he believed was the oppressive antiquity of Italy. Though Marinetti was the most vocal of the group, Umberto Boccioni and Giacomo Balla created the work that visually defined Futurism. Despite their obsession with progress, they scorned new ethical ideas like Feminism, and their Fascist associations eventually lost them favor. Some say the legacy of Futurism can still be seen in Western culture’s obsession with all that is young and new. —ARR
Selected artists: Giacomo Balla, Carlo Carrà, Umberto Boccioni, Virgilio Marchi, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Luigi Russolo, Antonio Sant’Elia, Gino Severini