Glossary Term: Futurism
Futurism developed in Italy and Russia in the early 1900s. An Italian poet, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, named the style to emphasize speed, power, change and innovation in art. He wanted art to reflect the power of the machine, which he felt was more applicable to the times than the static and irrelevant art of the past. The invention of the automobile, a machine with power and speed, was a symbol of this movement's interest in technology.

Futurist painters adopted many of the techniques of the Cubists, but while the Cubists favored still lifes and portraits, Futurists portrayed speeding cars, cyclists, dancers and sciences from urban life. Futurism was a proponent of violence and conflict. It called for the destruction of institutions such as libraries and museums. Futurism was aggressive and inflammatory, and the art of this era was intended to anger and inspire controversy.

Some well-known artists of this period were Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carra and Gino Severini.

Copyright 1998-2005 Sanford