Futurism: 'We thought it was dead, my good shark...'

Ideas, promoted by Cubism were really fruitful and nurtured various upcoming styles and movements in art. Ideals of Picasso and Braque came to taste for a person who stood on the edge between Cubism and Futurism - Marcel Duchamp - a member of Parisian Cubist collective 'Puteaux group'. The moves towards Futurism were made, due to the obvious limitations of Cubism - it's precised systematic manner, limitations in colour and bonds that had to be torn - reference to reality. Duchamps ' Nude Descending the Stairs no.2' demonstrates how Cubism was shaken in favor of more defiant representation approach.

'Nude Descending the Stairs no.2'

Marcel Duchamp

1912

The first considerable  feature that makes us distinguish the work from Cubism is the position of the object. While the cubists usually painted a static moment, Duchamp tries to illustrate a continuous motion. The artist keeps the tool of deconstruction the image into fragments. However, it is not done in a similar way as before - here the object remains more solid, doesn't imitate a jigsaw structure. A depiction of multiple perspectives is still present, but it doesn't split one object into different parts, but depicts the same object in different positions within a process of motion. Another feature that makes it or a typical cubist work is a more or less realistic lighting of the object.

The first considerable  feature that makes us distinguish the work from Cubism is the position of the object. While the cubists usually painted a static moment, Duchamp tries to illustrate a continuous motion. The artist keeps the tool of deconstruction the image into fragments. However, it is not done in a similar way as before - here the object remains more solid, doesn't imitate a jigsaw structure. A depiction of multiple perspectives is still present, but it doesn't split one object into different parts, but depicts the same object in different positions within a process of motion. Another feature that makes it or a typical cubist work is a more or less realistic lighting of the object.

As the world was changing rapidly, it became more clear that the old-fashioned, sentimental art isn't responding to the needs of contemporary scene. The discrepancy was especially emphasized in the land of Renaissance, where the classical art standards  were considered as national heritage. Soon the contrast became an issue for people of art sphere, who were modern and bold enough to deny traditional values and make a revolution across various art spheres. The Futurists, as to their active rejection of the values of past, made a statement Manifesto, calling to renew the art standards and modernize the functions of art. It was a poet Fillippo Marinetti who composed The Futurist Manifesto and published it in 1909. The main purpose of the piece was to demonstrate that the art should be a reflection of reality art move along with the progress. The Manifesto  is divided into two parts: figurative artistic narrative and a straightforward list of statements that Futurists proclaimed as the basis of their philosophy. 

'We are on the extreme promontory of the centuries! What is the use of

looking behind at the moment when we must open the mysterious shutters

of the impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We are already living in

the absolute, since we have already created eternal, omnipresent speed.'

According to the movement, the major features that art has to implement were harshness, speed and dynamism.  It had to become more like a force than 'the painful contortions of the artist trying to break uncrossable barriers which obstruct the full expression of his dream'. Futurists decided to tribute the forces of nature and physical processes. The idea was to reflect something that is present, but not visible. 

'Swifts paths of movement and dynamic sequences'

Giacomo Balla

1913

 Above is a typical motive of futuristic paintings: a step-by-step depiction of a process, gradually crossing the canvas. At first sight it seems to be an abstraction, but when looked at more precisely, the silhouettes become more visible. At least there is a visibility of a trajectory of a bird flying outside a window. It's clear that  in order to illustrate a kind of process as dynamic motion Balla uses multiple repetition of similar object. The painting also gives an impression of volume, as to the multiple layering. Almost in the middle, there are cross shaped elements that look like a broken beams of light going through a prism. It is possible to say there is not one source of light, but a sequence of them. Balla  got an inspiration for the work from the studies of animal motion by French physiologist E.-J. Marey. Such reference demonstrates interest of the artist in unseen forces of physical processes and scientific approach to painting.

Futurist ideas appeared to be quite successful across different fields. Besides poetry and painting it also spread on architecture, sculpture, theater, design, etc. There was a remarkable period in photography marked by Futurism - photodynamism. At some point, it was argued whether there is a niche for photography within the movement. The photographer, no matter how he tries, can not fix the very essence of movement with a camera. However, certain techniques, such as chonophotography, could allow to  capture an object in motion, frame-by-frame. 

'Ritratto fotodinamico di una donna'

Anton Giulio Bragaglia

1924

 Futurism opened the doors for bold, statement art. It contributed to such styles and movements as Art Deco, Dada, Neo-Futurism and was multiply referenced since it's appearance. Futurists explored such qualities as speed, volume, mobility and, sad to say, short-termism of trends and life in general - the concepts that are central in modern developed world and will probably never be excluded from it.

 'We thought it was dead, my good shark, but I woke it with a single caress of its powerful back, and it was revived running as fast as it could on its fins.'

 Sources:

https://thealternativevision.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/marcel-duchamp-nude-descending-a-staircase-no-2-1912.jpg

https://www.societyforasianart.org/sites/default/files/manifesto_futurista.pdf

https://uploads4.wikiart.org/images/giacomo-balla/swifts-paths-of-movement-dynamic-sequences-1913.jpg

http://learnmyshot.com/photos/100-Photodynamism/Anton-Giulio-Bragaglia-Ritratto-fotodinamico-di-una-donna.jpg