Futurism (literary movement)
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| Futurism (literary movement) | |
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| Name | Futurism |
| Caption | Cover of the 1909 manifesto published in Le Figaro |
| Years | early 20th century |
| Countries | Italy; Russia; France; United Kingdom; Germany; Argentina; Brazil; United States; Spain; Romania |
| Notable people | Filippo Tommaso Marinetti; Umberto Boccioni; F. T. Marinetti; Vladimir Mayakovsky; David Burliuk; Carlo Carrà; Gino Severini; Antonio Sant'Elia; Guillaume Apollinaire; Aldo Palazzeschi; Paul Fort; Aleksandr Blok; Vasilisk Gnedov; Fortunato Depero; Natalia Goncharova; Mikhail Larionov |
| Influences | Symbolism; Impressionism; Post-Impressionism; Cubism; Industrial Revolution; D'Annunzio |
| Influenced | Surrealism; Dada; Constructivism; Concrete poetry; Italian Fascism; Russian Futurism; Brazilian Modernism |
Futurism (literary movement) was an early 20th-century avant-garde current that championed rupture with past aesthetics and celebrated speed, technology, and urban life. Originating in Milan with a manifesto published in Paris, the movement spread across Europe and the Americas through manifestos, periodicals, poetry, drama, and criticism. Futurist writers and allied artists provoked debate in journals, salons, and exhibitions linked to major cultural centers such as London, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo.
Origins and Historical Context
Futurism emerged after the turn of the century amid rapid industrialization in cities like Milan, Turin, and Naples and against artistic currents centered in Paris such as Cubism and Symbolism. The movement crystallized when Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published a manifesto in Le Figaro in 1909, reacting to events such as the 1905 Exposition Universelle debates and the rise of mass media exemplified by newspapers like Gazzetta dell'Emilia and journals including Lacerba and Poesia. European political crises—exemplified by tensions preceding the Balkan Wars and the cultural aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War—provided fertile ground for Futurist polemics. Contacts with artists from Paris such as Pablo Picasso and writers connected to Mercure de France shaped cross-pollination between Italian Futurists and figures in France, Russia, and Britain.
Key Principles and Manifestos
The movement’s principles were articulated in multiple manifestos and pamphlets authored by figures publishing in outlets like Le Figaro, Lacerba, and Der Sturm. Marinetti’s 1909 text and subsequent documents—such as the Futurist Technical Manifesto of Painting and the Manifesto of the Futurist Theatre—advocated violent breaks with icons associated with Gabriele D'Annunzio and the academies tied to Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Statements celebrated machines like the automobile, aircraft, and locomotive while repudiating museums such as the Uffizi and institutions exemplified by the Royal Academy. Russian Futurists including Vladimir Mayakovsky and David Burliuk issued parallel manifestos in St. Petersburg and Kiev, often polemicizing against figures like Alexander Blok and journals such as Zhivoye Slovo.
Major Authors and Works
Key literary figures produced poems, plays, and manifestos circulated in periodicals including Poesia, Lacerba, and La Voce. Notable authors and works include Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s Zang Tumb Tumb, Umberto Boccioni’s theoretical essays published alongside paintings exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, Gino Severini’s translations and manifestos, Carlo Carrà’s essays, and Aldo Palazzeschi’s experimental verse. Russian exponents include Vladimir Mayakovsky’s A Cloud in Trousers and David Burliuk’s early collections; other contributors appear in anthologies alongside Aleksandr Blok, Natalia Goncharova, and Mikhail Larionov. International adopters encompassed writers in Argentina such as Jorge Luís Borges contemporaries and Brazilian authors active in publications like Klaxon with contributors associated with Oswald de Andrade and Mário de Andrade.
Styles, Techniques, and Themes
Futurist literature employed techniques such as typographic experimentation seen in parole in libertà, onomatopoeic sequences exemplified by Zang Tumb Tumb, and syntactic fragmentation that echoed experiments by Guillaume Apollinaire and Gertrude Stein. Themes included glorification of aviation and industrial motifs, celebration of urban centers like Milan and New York City, and confrontational rhetoric addressing institutions such as the Académie Française. Performance strategies linked to Futurist plays engaged with spaces used by companies such as Comédie-Française and venues in St. Petersburg; collaborations with painters like Umberto Boccioni, Fortunato Depero, and Carlo Carrà produced integrated scenography and typography.
Reception, Criticism, and Controversies
Futurists provoked polarized responses from critics writing in outlets like The Times, Le Figaro, and Pravda; figures such as T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and James Joyce registered varied reactions through reviews and correspondence. Controversies centered on the movement’s aggressive nationalism, public stunts in cities including Turin and Milan, and later alignments of some members with political movements linked to Benito Mussolini and institutions such as the Italian Fascist Party. Opponents included traditionalists associated with the Accademia di Belle Arti and modernists who formed alternative currents like Surrealism and Dada with journals such as Littérature and Cabaret Voltaire voicing critique.
Influence and Legacy
Futurist literary practices influenced subsequent movements and institutions including Constructivism in Moscow, Surrealism in Paris, and concrete poetry networks across Latin America and Europe. Techniques from Futurist manifestos informed typographers at presses such as Vorticist journals in London and designers associated with Depero Futurista projects. The movement’s legacy persists in 20th-century art histories alongside exhibitions at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and archives held in libraries such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the V&A.
Regional Variations and International Spread
Italian Futurism centered in Milan and Rome while Russian Futurism developed in St. Petersburg and Kiev with figures linked to Russian Revolution cultural ferment. French interlocutors in Paris and British sympathizers in London adapted Futurist ideas within circles including Vorticism and magazines such as Blast. In Argentina and Uruguay, manifestos circulated among writers connected to journals in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Brazilian modernists convened around Klaxon in São Paulo, while North American poets engaged through little magazines in New York City and Chicago; German and Spanish adaptations appeared in Berlin and Madrid respectively.
Category:Literary movements Category:Avant-garde Category:20th-century poetry