The Futurists - Lecture 3 - 11-10-11

The Futurists were an artistic movement, which was founded by a group of young and rebellious Italian writers and artists determined to celebrate industrialisation. The ringleader was Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. They sought order and meaning, in a world of chaos. The artists spoke through manifestos, and created books, posters, magazines and typefaces using 'strikingly new vocabularies'. They were well practiced in almost every field of art including painting, illustration, ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, interior design, theatre, film, literature, music and architecture. The movement hated anything that wasn't a totally new idea. Artists that were part of the Futurist movement include: Umberto Boccioni, Luigi Russolo and Giacoma Balla.

Umberto Boccioni                    

"Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" 1913

Giacoma Balla

"Streetlight" 1909

The most important/interesting points made in the Futurist's manifesto, published 29th February 1909, were:
9. We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman.
10. We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind, will fight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice. The propellers chatter in the wind like banners and seem to cheer like an enthusiastic crowd.

Overall, the Futurists were non-conformists, and it is this aspect that I admire about them. The fact that they didn't care what people thought about their work, or what they did, and did it anyway. I also admire the fact that they didn't like or agree with the way something was going, or the way something was, and instead of just sitting there moaning about it, they actually got up and DID something about it. They stood up for what they believed. I don't agree with their sexist, fascist ideas, but I believe that the Futurists were an important part of where art is today, and without it, there wouldn't be as many artists now who push their boundaries and inspire us to push our boundaries.