Futurism
Born in 1909 from Filippo Marinetti’s original poetic mind, Futurism shook the artistic conceptions and traditions to invite mass conscience to celebrate modernity, with all forces, energies and enthusiasm. Its Manifesto, published on Le Figaro, clearly intended to enlighten and dust off the old fashioned museum-like aura and turn art into a more dynamic representation of the world. The movement preferred themes inspired by technology advancements and innovations, often celebrating man-made industrial achievements and engineering skills. Often sensational and hyperbolic, Futurism had a strong rebellious nature, in its intention to break and destroy the old, to make space for the new and modern: this even justified somehow violence, vehement attacks to society and cultural heritage. For its vision and inspirational principles it was well received by the rising Fascism, and Marinetti himself acted as a supporter of the war, though alienating many artists who ultimately abandoned the movement. To an extent, Futurism influenced also the Russian Futurism or Cubo-Futurism, although the latter never associated or recognised this connection. However its legacy was unequivocally joined up with Vorticism and with German Expressionism.