Art Lovers discussion

Futurism was an early 20th Century art movement, primarily centered in Italy, that emphasized dynamism, movement, simultaneity, conflict, machines, energy, and the new.

Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2

Futurist art often featured multiple images in time sequence. Often cubist faceting was used, but the facets were of different images in time. Contemporary developments provided inspiration. Motion pictures, cars, planes, trains and power plants,the photographs of of Eduard Muybridge, and the theory of relativity--in that it connected space to time--, all, were influences.


The main players were the artists Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Gino Severini, Giacomo Balla. People in other countries did futurist works, including Natalia Goncharova, and Marcel Duchamp. The movement also affected other movements such as Rayonnism, Dada, Vorticism, and Synchromism.

The Futurist Manifesto was written by the Futurist poet Marrinetti. Some excerpts:
"Man is reacting against the potentially overwhelming strength of progress, and shouts out his centrality. Man will use speed, not the opposite...."
"...a new concept of beauty that will refer to the human instinct of aggression..."

The painters Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini issued a Futurist painting manifesto, which contained the following famous passage:
"Indeed, all things move, all things run, all things are rapidly changing. A profile is never motionless before our eyes, but it constantly appears and disappears. On account of the persistency of an image upon the retina, moving objects constantly multiply themselves; their form changes like rapid vibrations, in their mad career. Thus a running horse has not four legs, but twenty, and their movements are triangular."



Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913

Umberto Boccioni, Elasticity, 1912

Giacomo Balla , Dynamism of A Dog on a Leash 1912


Carlo Carrà, 1912, Concurrency, Woman on the Balcony

Gino Severini, 1912, Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin

Futurists usually tried to include clashing forms, and experimented with multimedia to emphasize that feeling. Boccioni's sculpture often used multiple materials, one included gouache, oil, paper collage, wood, cardboard, copper, and iron, coated with tin or, maybe zinc. Severini's painting, Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin, includes sequins.

Here's a nice video discussion of a Futurist work, "Dynamism of a Soccer Player"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLEJg...

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism

While I find the glorification of war by the Futurists to be detestable, I've always kind of liked the interpretation of movement in their work. The dog makes me smile every time, and the other paintings are lively and interesting, if lacking in a sense of humor. I've never been taken by Boccioni's Unique Forms, though, perhaps because it's much more difficult to represent movement in sculpture than in painting.

The Futurists as a group glorified war and condemned women's rights (another of those sad attempts to be macho by men in a less "masculine" field, doubtless they had all kinds of hangups!) and there was all kinds of overlap with the Fascists (who initially were a little more tolerant of modern art than the Nazis were). So there's nothing I like about their politics whatsoever. (Duchamp's early phase was pretty close to what the Futurists were doing, but he was definitely anti the kind of politics they had.)

I'd say the idea of dynamism in painting is their enduring legacy.

And I've always been struck by "Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin". I seem to have a vivid memory of actually seeing it. I think I must have been a child it was so long ago--the colors are lurid, it refuses to be "tasteful", the frenetic additions of detail, the squirming forms, and the sequins. It really made an impression on me. And it suddenly gave me some ideas about a painting I am doing.

Very interesting! I love that Duchamp and Boccioni's Unique Forms sculpture. Orsay references a Gino Severini they labelled "simultaneism":



Spherical Expansion of Light (centrifugal and centripetal). Simultaneism, 1913-1914
Gino Severini (1883-1966)
Oil on canvas
H. 60; W. 50 cm
Utica (N.Y.), Munson-William-Proctor Arts Institute, Museum of Art
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/events/e...

Ed wrote: "Futurism was an early 20th Century art movement, primarily centered in Italy, that emphasized dynamism, movement, simultaneity, conflict, machines, energy, and the new.
Duchamp, Nude Descending a S..."

This is one movement I haven't thought about for awhile yet it is one of my favorites. And I have to admit, that though I am not a huge fan of Duchamp, I have always liked Nude Descending a Staircase. Something about it... He does implicate movement, it isn't graceful by any means, but it holds my attention. I would love to actually see it in person, I think I would be fixated on it for quite a time! Where is it located?

Though, as Ruth said, it would be much more difficult to represent movement in sculpture, I love Boccioni's work. I may be a bit biased, though, as sculpture is my favorite as we all know.

I also think the name of the work adds to its significance, brings it to life. Upon just looking at a form or a painting, it may just be that-a form or painting. But thinking about what the artist intended through what he/she called the work brings it to life for me.

Ed, I can see a lot of similarity in your work with that of Gino Severini, 1912, Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin And you know I'm a big fan of your work!

Book Portrait wrote: "Very interesting! I love that Duchamp and Boccioni's Unique Forms sculpture. Orsay references a Gino Severini they labelled "simultaneism":

Spherical Expansion of Light (centrifugal and centripeta..."

I haven't seen that one, Book Portrait. It seems to integrate many art movements into one..pointillism, cubism, abstraction, and the use of contrasting colors. Beautiful.

Heather wrote: "...I would love to actually see it in person, I think I would be fixated on it for quite a time! Where is it located?

Ed, I can see a lot of similarity in your work with that of Gino Severini, 1912, Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin And you know I'm a big fan of your work! ..."

Yeah, I had totally forgotten about his work, and I am discovering all kinds of affinities, after I started thinking about Futurism--I realized we hadn't yet added it to our art movement stockpile.

I think I must have seen the Severini at MOMA in NY. I was there in the 80's--I got to see Guernica at that time, it had not been relocated yet.

I ran across this painting of mine--I was thinking of Futurism at the time I painted it:


I looked it up, and it looks like Nude Descending #1 and #2 are in Philadelphia. The #2 is the famous one, the #1 was a sketch on cardboard--you can see him work out the idea, but it's not clearly realized:
#1 http://www.philamuseum.org/collection...
#2 http://www.philamuseum.org/collection...

Futuristic Painting,Man on Horse - 1913
Carlo Carrà - (1881-1966)

Returning to the Trenches, 1914
C.R.W. Nevinson (British, 1889-1946)
Oil on canvas
51.2 x 76.8 cm
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collecti...

I couldn't find much on the glorification of war by the futurists... Was it some of the artists or the movement as a whole that was fascinated by the mechanical/technological aspects of war?

I was chatting with an Italian friend of mine who is very into art and history. He explained a little bit about Futurism in Italy.

"Well le correnti artistiche del 900 erano politicizzate in un certo senso...
Well the artistic currents were politicised in a certain sense ..."

"Il futurismo più di altre Futurism more than others"

"This is what was their status « Non v'è più bellezza se non nella lotta. Nessuna opera che non abbia un carattere aggressivo può essere un capolavoro. » (dal Manifesto del Futurismo di Filippo Tommaso Marinetti)

"There is no more beauty if not in the fight. No work that does not have an aggressive character may be a masterpiece"

I don't know Italian history very well. I'd heard of the Futurist Manifesto but didn't know if very well. I'm sure many members of this group are more familiar. This is what I found in Wikipedia...

"It initiated an artistic philosophy, Futurism, that was a rejection of the past, and a celebration of speed, machinery, violence, youth and industry; it was also an advocation of the modernization and cultural rejuvenation of Italy"

Gino Severini (Italian, 1883–1966)
Armored Train in Action


Gino Severini
Red Cross Train

Thanks Heather. I looked further into it and found Marinetti's Manifesto of Futurism (1909):

1 We want to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and rashness.

...

9 We want to glorify war - the only cure for the world - militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of the anarchists, the beautiful ideas which kill, and contempt for woman.

10 We want to demolish museums and libraries, fight morality, feminism and all opportunist and utilitarian cowardice.


... we want to deliver Italy from its gangrene of professors, archaeologists, tourist guides and antiquaries.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008...

A good article on Futurism in Italy from the Khan Academy (which has excellent educational videos on art masterworks):

Can you imagine being so enthusiastic about technology that you name your daughter Propeller?...
http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/f...

ETA: 11-minute video on "Three Futurists: Balla, Severini and Boccioni" (poor sound): http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/t...

For those in NYC: "Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe" is on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum February 21-September 1, 2014.



With an excellent "online exhibition":
http://exhibitions.guggenheim.org/fut...

4 excellent short videos on the exhibition:
- Exhibition Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn6y5...
- Historical Context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syTQ...
- Futurist Performance and F. T. Marinetti: http://www.guggenheim.org/video/futur...
- Italian Futurism at the Guggenheim: Futurism as a Literary Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puKhO...

ETA: there's also a Roundtable Discussion on the exhibition from The Italian Academy - Columbia University (2 hours 30 minutes!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzy3h...

Wonderful! Thank you Book Portrait!

Book Portrait wrote: "For those in NYC: "Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe" is on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum February 21-September 1, 2014.



With an excellent "online exhibition":
..."

Thx..I'll watch this one!

From MoMA's archives on Futurism. Interestingly, vis a vis Duchamp, The Futurists decided not to participate in The Armory of 1913 where The Nude Descending A Staircase made it's debut in America.
https://www.moma.org/momaorg/shared/p...

Where the art critic for the NYT famously called it "an explosion in a shingle factory."