Futurism

Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912

The Futurist movement was based on Filippo Marinetti’s Manifesto published in the French Magazine, Le Figaro, on February 20th, 1909. The Manifesto called for a celebration of progress of the 20th Century. Marinetti called for an attack against everything old, glorifying war, calling it “the world’s hygiene.” The art of the Futurists attempted to capture movement, particularly the movement of the machine, which was symbolic of the progression of the 20th Century.

Marinetti’s Futurism was based on an entirely new world, created by the aura of the impending First World War, full of violence, male energy and the male form. This was rigidly opposite of the feminine beauty previously celebrated in art throughout history.

The art of the Futurist attempted to represent movement, whether human or machine. However, the products of Futurism were somewhat tame compared to Marinetti’s Manifesto because as the harbinger of the movement, artists had to figure out Marinetti’s motives and create works of art around his idea.

In Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, Giacomo Balla uses superimposing images of a dog and woman walking the dog, to show movement on canvas. Umberto Boccioni

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity and Space, 1913

(1871 - 1958) attempts to do the same thing with Unique Forms of Continuity and Space. Here, Boccioni, depicts a figure sculpted out of bronze in full stride. Boccioni pushes sculpture in a new way, towards movement and fluidity. Boccioni’s figure received much criticism as he was still using the human form and bronze, an age-old material.

The Futurist movement ended with the bloodshed of the First World War. The Futurists became associated with World War 1 and fascism. Not only were the realities of the war a deterrent for most artists, but Marinetti’s criticisms and constant pressure on the artists acted as a further deterrent.