Back to the Future: the Work and Influence of Filippo Marinetti & Umberto Boccioni
Back to the Future
The work and influence of Filippo Marinetti & Umberto Boccioni
In Europe the transition from the 19th to the 20th century witnessed the emergence of a number of artistic and social movements which left a great impact on societies, not only in Europe but also worldwide. Movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Constructivism played an important role in changing society for the better by using their design and art practices. This era also witnessed a number of ideological and cultural changes in many fields such as psychology, philosophy, arts, and technology. Behind the popularity of Dada, Surrealism, Constructivism, Art Deco, and also Vorticism, there was a strong idea of Futurism which incorporated elements of technology, speed, violence, and mechanical objects such as cars, airplanes, and bicycles. Futurism was largely an Italian based movement, however there were other versions of the movement happening around the world, including Russia, and England.. Most Futurists practiced in various mediums of art. According to Anonymous (2010), sculpture, painting, architecture, ceramics, industrial design, interior design, graphic design, theatre and film, textiles, and literature were all acceptable mediums for The Futurists. Two of the more notorious Futurists were Filippo Marinetti, and Umberto Boccioni. Marinetti’s Manifesto of Futurism and Boccioni’s plastic dynamism and sculpture, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space are two very well known pieces of art which played an important role in the popularity of Futurism. The works of the two futurists inspired many artists of their time and are still well known amongst contemporary artists.
When the French newspaper, Le Figaro, published on its front page a manifesto about an artistic group, no one knew about the author. The manifesto was written by an EgyptianItalian named Filippo Marinetti, who was based in Milan and was one of the founding fathers of Futurism. The literary piece
The work and influence of Filippo Marinetti & Umberto Boccioni
In Europe the transition from the 19th to the 20th century witnessed the emergence of a number of artistic and social movements which left a great impact on societies, not only in Europe but also worldwide. Movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Constructivism played an important role in changing society for the better by using their design and art practices. This era also witnessed a number of ideological and cultural changes in many fields such as psychology, philosophy, arts, and technology. Behind the popularity of Dada, Surrealism, Constructivism, Art Deco, and also Vorticism, there was a strong idea of Futurism which incorporated elements of technology, speed, violence, and mechanical objects such as cars, airplanes, and bicycles. Futurism was largely an Italian based movement, however there were other versions of the movement happening around the world, including Russia, and England.. Most Futurists practiced in various mediums of art. According to Anonymous (2010), sculpture, painting, architecture, ceramics, industrial design, interior design, graphic design, theatre and film, textiles, and literature were all acceptable mediums for The Futurists. Two of the more notorious Futurists were Filippo Marinetti, and Umberto Boccioni. Marinetti’s Manifesto of Futurism and Boccioni’s plastic dynamism and sculpture, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space are two very well known pieces of art which played an important role in the popularity of Futurism. The works of the two futurists inspired many artists of their time and are still well known amongst contemporary artists.
When the French newspaper, Le Figaro, published on its front page a manifesto about an artistic group, no one knew about the author. The manifesto was written by an EgyptianItalian named Filippo Marinetti, who was based in Milan and was one of the founding fathers of Futurism. The literary piece
References: Anonymous (2010) Futurism: Futurist Manifesto, Suite Vollard Enrico Prampolini, General Books LLC, New York Anonymous Berghaus, G. (2009) Futurism and the Technological Imagination, Rodopi, Amsterdam Blum, C S. (1996) The Other Modernism: F.T. Marinetti’s Futurist Fiction of Power, University of California Press, California Bru, S., and Martens, G. (2006) The Invention of Politics in the European Avant-garde, Rodolphi, Amsterdam Harrison, A. (2003) D.H. Lawrence and Italian Futurism: A Study of Influence, Rodopi, Harte, T. (2009) Fast Forward The Aesthetics and Ideology of Speed in Russian Avant-Garde Culture, University of Wisconsin Press, Wisconsin Hays, M. (2000) Architecture Theory Since 1968, MIT Press, Cambridge Henning, M. (2006) Museums, Media, and Cultural Theory. McGraw-Hill International, London Smith, T E. (1997) Invisible Touch: Modernism and Masculinity, University of Chicago Press, Chicago Strickland, C., and Boswell J (2007) The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post Modern. Andrews McMeel Publishing, Riverside, NJ Figure 1. Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913, Umberto Boccioni From: http://www.doctorhugo.org/synaesthesia/art/ Figure 2. Dynamism of a cyclist, painting, 1913, Umberto Boccioni From: http://artsforhealthmmu.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post.html Figure 3. Futurist Manifesto, newspaper article, 1917, Filippo Marinetti From: http://www.collezioni-f.it/marinetti01.jpg Figure 4. Parole in Liberta, book illustration, 1917, Filippo Marinetti From: http://blanchardmodernart.blogspot.com/2010/10/cubism-and-futurism.html