Umberto Boccioni's Futuristic
The creative engine of Italy was running low on fuel at the end of the 19th century. The Italians seemed to be still holding on to the pompous arrogance of the times and indulging in self-involvement. There was no other country at this time that was so subjected to the past, paralysed by lack of distinctive ideas, and deprived of a unique cultural identity1. The Italian public was fine with protecting tradition, and following naturalistic formulae and absolutely refused to notice the changes in art, literature, and drama. By the early 1900's technological inventions were becoming a crucial part of everyday life. Electric lighting, domestic appliances, and communications media were publicly known items that reinforced the sense of the impending future. Little did people know, that this integration between man and machine was the inspiration for futurism, which rumbled into the early 20th century. In 1909, when futurism was introduced to Italy, it was greeted with hesitation. Futurism rejected all the splendor and decadence of Italy's cultural past, in favor of new advances in science and technology. It enthusiastically embraced the concept of change as a fundamental aspect of its activities and ideology2. It was affected
Futurism was by far one of the most boisterous, art periods. The Futuristic movement had its sights firmly fixed toward the future. They were obsessed with depicting speed and movement. Unfortunately, the public did not share that obsession. The Italians felt optimistic about the future, but they had been slowly exposed to machines and the technological benefits they had brought along. With minimal exposure, the Italians were not ready for the violent and terrorist feel of futurism. The Futurists purposely wanted to inflame emotions within the public. The tones of their manifestos were aggressive and inflammatory and were purposely intended to inspire public anger and amazement, to arouse controversy, and to attract widespread attention. The Futurists wanted to promote change from the norm. The Italians just weren't prepared for this drastic change of art styles. They still had their feet firmly planted in the refuge of tradition. When Boccioni and his companions expressed their Futuristic thinking to the public, their thoughts and views were uprooted, suddenly and forcefully. For a while, the depiction of movement and violent excitement was too much for the public, but eventually, the works of futurists were met with public acceptance. Nonetheless, despite the apparent centrality of Futurism to twentieth-century life and undoubted influence on other avant-garde developments elsewhere in Europe, its significance was more symbolic than materialistic9. The relevance of Bocionni's work was to show his country the possibilities and excitement of the future and to brin
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Approximate Word count = 1071
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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