Art and design is where it is today because of
time of fear, rejection, shock, upheaval and war. The
its past. Without daring experiments, the pushing of
world was moving faster than it was a decade earlier
boundaries, the breaking of rules and the ability to
and many people rejected the change. Futurism
think critically and conceptually, the art of art would
embraced the change. Futurists were fascinated with
have faded with time. Like anything else, art has
the idea of speed, motion, rhythm and the growth
evolved. It changes with time, people, culture and
of the city. They supported the rejection of the past,
situations and although some may disagree there
the acceptance of the future and the idea that war
is no wrong way to create it. Art is expression and
was a good way to solve problems and clean up
expression is volatile and limitless. Art demonstrates
the world. Futurism often illustrated the turmoil of
that every single one of us sees the world differently
change that was occurring, the battle between man
and that beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder.
and machine. It also was another stepping stone
Futurism is no exception. In the bigger picture
toward non-objective art and the idea that emotion
of art Futurism is often overlooked and forgotten
could be expressed through line and color.
simply because it lacks the fame that some of the
This exhibit features ten Futurist painters. Five
other “isms� have. However, it deserves the proper
of them are Russian women and five of them are
recognition because its ideals introduced a new way
Italian men. This group of artists demonstrates how
of thinking and its artists were heavy influences on
different expression can be between gender and
later forms of art such as Suprematism and Con-
culture. All of these artists are classified as Futurists,
structivism.
however they all have a different style and view. Al-
Futurism came about during a time of dras-
though Futurism is not as well known as some other
tic change. Europe and North America were in the
stylistic movements, it is imperative we remember it
middle of an industrial revolution. The idea of mass
and learn from it. It is part of the chain reaction that
production and the use of heavy machinery to per-
got us to where we are today and it deserves to be
form difficult tasks was becoming a reality. It was a
recognized as so. -Annmarie Barlow Curator
RUSSIAN
Alexandra Exter Natalia Goncharova Liubove Popova Olga Rozanova Nadezhda Udaltsova
FUTURISM
LIUBOVE POPOVA
NATALIA GONCHAROVA
Liubove Popova grew up in a well-educated mer-
work. However, Popova’s method changed after she
chant family. Popova always had a strong interest in
saw Cubo-Futurist paintings such as Malevich’s The
art and particularly Italian Renaissance painting. Her
Knife-Grinder and Goncharova’s The Bicyclist. Popova was extremely interested in the way
However, she completed the studio exercises she
interest in Italian Renaissance painting is seen in her
June 21, 1881 in the village of Nagaevo. Her father
would have needed to finish her schooling at the
abstract paintings from 1916 to 1917. Renaissance
those two paintings conflicted two different forms
was an architect and her immediate family was well
Moscow Institute. While at the Moscow Institute
characteristics in her abstract paintings include a
of energy and combined the perception of the object
educated. Growing up, Goncharova was educated by
she met Larionov who became her most influential
highly accurate sense of up and down, frontal focus
with its environment. She began to experiment with
her mother and grandmother. When Goncharova was
instructor and eventually her husband many years
in the structure of form, and close attention to fore-
abstract patterns and rhythms and created her on
twelve she attended the Fourth Women’s Gymna-
later. Larionov showed Goncharova the advent-garde
ground and/or surface. The center of Popova’s com-
Cubo-Futurist works. In Popova’s Cubo-Futurist
sium until she graduated in 1898. Goncharova tried
exhibitions organized in Moscow.
position is often fixed and relationships are defined
works we see an adequate balance between the
by proportion. One of the most impressive attributes
“centrifugal” and the “centripetal”. These paintings
Eastern and Western traditions and it initiated mul-
of Popova’s work was the way she combined the
also demonstrate an agreement between body, ob-
to become a sculptor and she attended the Moscow
tiple movements and manifestos including Cubo-Fu-
style of Russian art with the style of Italian Renais-
ject and negative space, which set them apart from
Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in
turism. The Cyclist is oil on canvas done in 1913 and
sance painting.
French Cubism.
Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was born on
several different career paths including history, zoology, botany and medicine. She eventually decided
Goncharova’s work as whole incorporated both
The Pianist demonstrates the difference in
it is regarded as a very conventional Futurist painting
At the same time she visited St. Petersburg to
in both Goncharova’s body of work as a whole and in
study Italian Renaissance painting she also visited
interpretation of Cubist form and space between the
Goncharova was torn between the two. The contra-
Russian art of the early 1900s. It has typical Futur-
the ancient cities of Russia including Kiev, No-
Russians and the French. The Pianist has a fron-
diction between the fast paced urban life of Moscow
ist features such as repetition, displacement of the
vogorod, Pskov, Yaroslavl, Rostov and Suzdal. After
tal view of the face while the hand is shown from
and the slow simple life of the country was a heavy
shapes of the figure and the injection of fragmented
studying both styles of art, Popova discovered, using
the side and the keyboard is shown from above.
influence on Goncharova’s work. Goncharova’s early
street signs. It differs from Italian Futurism because
her own logic based off of color contrast and numer-
Popova’s work eventually evolved into a Supremist/
work with pastels and painting reflect the rural
the composition of the painting is both horizontally
ical relationships, that the art of Old Russia and Ital-
Constructivist style in the same way the Malevich’s
environment of her family’s countryside estate. She
and vertically balanced.
ian Renaissance painting shared classical logic on an
did. However her work maintained the “centrifugal”
abstract level. Popova was inspired by not only the
and “centripetal” nature that was characteristic of
not only Russian Futurism, but also in Russian Art
common logic, but also the religious subject matter,
Cubo-Futurism. Popova’s work changed several
because she was more than just an artist of her time.
the wooden boards on which the art was painted,
times in her life and her diverse body of work stands
Her ideals and aesthetics were carried on and her
nature and the human figure. The human figure and
today as a reflection of her versatility as both an art-
work is still honored and admired today.
nature underwent rigorous transformations in her
ist and a person.
the fall of 1901. Spending time in both the country and city,
was most intrigued by the peasants and servant’s daily activities. Goncharova had training in the visual arts at both the art institute and in independent studios. She withdrew from the Moscow Institute in 1909.
Goncharova was extremely influential artist in
OLGA ROZANOVA Olga Rozanova was born on June 22, 1886 in
purpose was to express movement. She handles the
Melenki, Vladimir Province, Russia. From 1904 to
theme of the city by combining different elements,
1910 she attended the art school of Konstantin Yuon
objects and forms into an independent being.
and Ivan Dudin and audited classes at the Bolshakov
In contrast to the approach that the Italian Fu-
ALEXANDRA EXTER Alexandra Exter was born in the Ukraine and grew up in Kiev. She also attended art school in Kiev and although she moved around a lot in her life she
and Futurism combined with Russian and Ukrainian subject matter. Although Exter acknowledged the value of Ital-
Painting and Sculpture Institute and at the Central
turists took, Rozanova approached the city and the
always returned there. The city of Kiev was a large
ian Futurism, she did not fully embrace its doctrine.
Stroganov Art Institute in 1907. From 1911 to 1913
machine with careful discretion. In her Futurist urban
influence on Exter’s work. Throughout her life there
Exter was not interested in the “vehicle hurtling
Rozanova attended the Zvantseva Art School.
landscapes that she painted from 1913 to 1914 “the
Exter developed a love for Ukranian folk culture,
through space that so fascinated Boccioni and his
‘actors’ or ‘characters’ are the buildings, streetlights,
which she studied, promoted and even exhibited.
colleagues”. Exter’s work is characteristic of explo-
Throughout Rozanova’s life she worked in many different styles but always managed to maintain an
and factory chimneys in which human figures, if they
artistic personality. As a result, it is hard to classify
are present, dissipate and dissolve”. It was during
time, Cubism was becoming a notable style and Ex-
do not feel chaotic. Instead, her paintings feel like
her work into one or two categories. Rozanova’s
this time period also that Rozanova illustrated a
ter recognized its potential. She had the opportunity
careful arrangements of form and color based off of
work contains an individuality that pushes abstract
series of Cubo-Futurist books and met Marinetti in
to meet artists Picasso and Braque. In her encounters
aesthetic principals.
boundaries so far that it seems to almost exist solely
St. Petersburg. It has been debated whether Man in
with Braque and Picasso Exter discovered partial
on its own. In her early paintings she worked from
the Street is Cubism or Futurism. The painting has
answers to problems surrounding the relationship
rangement and Exter’s love for Ukrainian folklore.
her own knowledge and insight. In her later works
“fragmenting of shapes into facets, the reduced pal-
between surface and volume, form and texture and
There is the spirit of folk murals, traditional em-
she incorporated a lot of color theory and this explo-
ette of grays and ochres, the introduction of letters”
composition and rhythm. However, Exter did not
broideries and Easter table decorations painted in
ration of color became an important attribute of her
all of which “appear like reminiscences of Cubist
agree with how Cubists used color.
a non-objective Futurist manner. Exter also heavily
artistic method.
experiments”. However the “total incorporation of
From the beginning of her career Rozanova was partial to abstract compositions that were based on dynamics, correlation of color and conflicting linear
In the fall of 1907 Exter went to Paris. At the
Color was extremely important to her Exter’s
sive color and dynamic movement, yet her paintings
In Still-Life with Eggs we see that careful ar-
influenced the art of stage and costume design by
man in his urban environment is on of the bases of
work. Exter did not introduce the term “Cubo-Futur-
bringing Cubism into the discipline of theater.
the Futurist’s positions”.
ism” and was not even around Russia when the term
Ester was more than an artist; she was an
It has been said that Olga Rozanova was born
was coined. Nevertheless Exter utilized “Cubo-Futur-
inventor, a discoverer, an intellectual and a teacher.
rhythm. She started with Neo- Primitivism still lifes
a Futurist and if she had not discovered the art of
ism” and tried to adapt it to the demands of Russian
She was not afraid to go looking for new things
and portraits but moved very quickly into a “Futurist
Futurism during a time when it was somewhat popu-
art. At the time Russian art leaned toward the artis-
but never forgot where she came from. She will be
rhythmic displacement that she identified with the
lar and well established, she would have invented a
tic styles of Gleizes, Metzinger and Le Fauconnier.
remembered not only for her art but also for her
dissonance of the industrial city”. Rozanova’s main
style similar to it.
Therefore Exter’s art became a mixture of Cubism
versatility and ambition.
GIACOMO BALLA Giacomo Balla was a Futurist but his work
ITALIAN
Giacomo Balla Umberto Boccini Carlo Carra Luigi Russolo Gino Severini
FUTURISM
a new abstract language to the service of the Futur-
belongs in a category all its own. He was ahead of
ist desire to capture the simultaneity of everyday
his time experimenting with artificial light and its
life focused on political aspirations”. Girl Running
association with machinery, an attribute that would
on Balcony illustrates Balla’s studies on “how light
become symbolic of Futurism style. In his work we
dematerializes bodies in action”. The blocks of color
see everything from pictorial components to the
poured over the surface give the painting a mosaic
introduction of an abstract language, all under the
look. Here we see Balla’s style of repeated fragments
category of Futurism.
with a serious of repeating heads, legs, railing and
Balla was not affected nor inspired by Cub-
skits. The color blocks distract the viewer from notic-
ism, nor was he interested in the conflict between
ing the precise position of the girl’s sprint. Every-
man and machine. He was strictly concerned with
thing that is happening in this scene is occurring
“presenting one fragmented episode in a continuum
simultaneously, there is no elapsed time. However,
of motion. He concentrated on how a dachshund
this is contradictory because we as the viewer know
scurries, a violinist plays and a girl runs”. In his work
that this event took place over a period of time. As
you see “units of progression” used to illustrate the
a result, Balla creates a “generalized space, neither
particular activity. Balla was very precise in determin-
illusively deep nor palpably flat, lacking planes yet
ing which elements needed to be repeated and over-
avoiding openness”.
lapped to express “motor activity”. He had a much
Balla never fully accepted all the fundamentals
more “sensory” approach to imitating force lines as
of Futurism but rather molded the fundamentals
opposed to an emotional or intellectual one.
of Futurism to meet his stylistic needs. This ability
Force lines were a standard of Futurism that Balla had not fully accepted. Patriotic Demonstration, one of his interventionist paintings of 1915 “brought
allowed him to push the boundaries of Futurism as both a style and a way of thinking.
UMBERTO BOCCIONI Umberto Boccioni is often associated with and
lines and “dynamic compenetration of planes”. How-
NADEZHDA UDALTSOVA
known for his sculptures. However, his sculptures,
ever, there is still implied movement. In his second
although beautiful and impressive, were not his only
version of The Farewells Boccioni created volumes
contribution to Futurism. His triptych States of Mind
that appeared to revolve and outline the space oc-
is among his body of work as a Futurist painter.
cupied by a couple embracing, the presence of a
tragedy in her life. Her mother died when she was
Restaurant for example shows Udaltsova’s ability
States of Mind shown at the first Futurist exhibi-
sitting locomotive and the heart-wrenching feeling
twenty-seven, her father was killed by the Bolsheviks
to incorporate form and lettering, light and shade
tion in Paris in 1912 alongside seven other pieces
that often comes with saying goodbye.
and her husband was killed also. The only thing
and relief and plane without sacrificing the
that kept Udaltsova going was her passion for art.
art of painting.
by Boccioni. The intention of these pieces was to
In the second versions of both Those Who Go
Nadezhda Udaltsova was surrounded by a lot of
She stood close by her aesthetic principles. The
illustrate the feeling and movement of a crowd using
and Those Who Stay there is a blanket of lines in the
Udaltsova was born in 1885. In 1995 at the age of
non-objective shapes. They were done in a Neo-
forground creating “prismatic” forms, which hide
twenty she enrolled in the art school of Konstantin
art of painting which was a European tradition,
Impressionistic style. The pieces play off the Futurist
the characters. In Those Who Go the diagonal blue
Yuon and Ivan Dudin. A few years later in 1908
remained very important to her throughout her
fundamental of simultaneity. Boccioni “renewed
lines produce motion traveling from left to right.
Udaltsova visited the Shchukin collection. In that
career. She painted in terms of precise, conceptual,
the Futurist enterprise: it was no longer a matter of
We see the dim lights inside the railway car and the
same year she attempted to get into the Moscow
immense compositions. Udaltsova dwelled in Russia
merely depicting the speed of a machine or the ef-
city fading into the distance through a window. The
Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, but
for the majority of her life, but her love for European
fects of light, but of transcribing the movements of
painted faces are those of sleeping passengers, and
was not accepted. The following year Udaltsova stud-
art shows heavily in her work. A particular European
the soul at the heart of a separation punctuated by
their expressions reflect sadness. Those Who Stay
ied at La Palette in Paris under the direction of Henri
style that Udaltstova was receptive to was French
three related circumstances”.
is almost monochromatic. The static nature of the
Le Fauconnier, Kean Metzinger and Andre Dunoyer
Cubism. Restaurant is an example of Udaltsova’s
figures is expressed through the use of vertical lines.
de Segonzac. At La Palette Udaltsova studied the
Russian Cubo-Futurism work. However, it is said that
The Farewells, Those Who Go and Those Who Stay,
The string of figures stretches from the bottom left
“grammar” of Cubism.
Restaurant has a “distinctive fan-shaped composi-
each one painted on a separate canvas. The railway
corner to the top right indicating the perspective of a
station, he train and the journey are all Futurist
person riding away on the train.
The three circumstances that are referred to are
Boccioni’s sculptural contributions to Futur-
She returned to Moscow in 1914 at the age of
Although Udaltsova was a Russian artist, the
tion, echoing the volumetric-spatial structures of
29 where she debuted with fellow Russian Futurist,
Cubism”. Restaurant also has fragmented text, which
Liubov Popova, at an exhibition in Moscow called
is “introduced into the painting with the intention of
mechanized world. These themes also evoke the
ism were masterpieces and were very influential to
Jack of Diamonds. Udaltsova’s education in Cubism
evoking a series of sensations associated with life,
bittersweet emotions associated with leaving. After
the style as a whole. However, one cannot forget
helped her tremendously and she accepted Cubism
noise, pulse and constantly changing impressions of
the exhibition in Paris, Boccioni painted the second
Boccioni’s paintings and his ability to express a vast
as a new way of thinking, making and interpreting
a large city “. These attributes are characteristic of
rendition of States of Mind in a much more Futurism
array of emotions on a single canvas.
art. Udaltsovas treatment of space in her paintings
Italian Futurism once again we see Udaltsova’s love
from 1914-1915 sometimes resembled beehives.
and admiration for European art.
themes that show the interaction of man and the
style. In his second set of paintings there were force
GINO SEVERINI Gino Severini appeared in his first exhibition on
LUIGI RUSSOLO
writers including Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. In his
his thirtieth birthday. The exhibition lasted just over
first couple years in Paris Severini did not produce
a month and it featured thirty Futurist paintings and
much work. He spent time doing research and
drawings. Severini said of his own work “A picture
emersing himself in the artistic culture. Severini was
will no longer be the faithful reproduction of life
always a big admirer of Pointilist Georges Seurat and
The city is rendered in blue in the background. The
or of things that live in space”. The London exhibi-
the way complementary colors ordered his composi-
the annual Famiglia Artistica art exhibition in Milan.
Rebellion represents the conflict between “popular
tion was a critical point in Severini’s career because
tions. Seurat’s work had a lasting impact on Sev-
They developed a close friendship and in 1910
power” and “traditional middle-class society”. The
it allowed him to escape from Marinetti’s Futurist
erini’s Futurist work.
Russolo met Marinetti and began to contribute to
demonstrators have no identity because the same
shadow and develop his own identity.
In 1909 Luigi Russolo met Carra and Boccioni at
Severini got his start when his mother took him
In 1909 Marinetti published his Futurist Manifesto on the front page of Le Figaro, a popluar
Futurism. Russolo had pictorial, musical, literary and
silhouette represents all of them. This gives the
sculptural contributions.
demonstrators unity and shows that they are one
to the Italian capital because she recognized his
newspaper in Paris. However, Severini was not re-
driving force. The Rebellion is not illustrating one
artistic talent. At the time Severini was only fifteen.
ally affected by the publication. He did not agree
ism is very conspicuous. However, this was not the
particular event like Carra’s The Funeral of the Anar-
However, Severini made friends quickly and began to
with the Manifesto’s aggressive nature, its blatant
case for Russolo’s work. Russolo, like Balla, had
chist Galli.
establish himself and his work. Sometime between
patriotism, its attack on women and its philosophy
1900 and 1901 Severini met Umberto Boccioni and
that only war could solve the problems of the world.
For many Futurist artists the influence of Cub-
his very own Futurist style. The Rebellion has been
The Rebellion is a reflection of Marinetti’s ideals
described as “the collision of two forces, that of the
in the Manifesto of Futurism, “sing the great crowds
the two of them remained close friends until Boc-
However, there were several aspects of the Manifesto
revolutionary element made up of enthusiasm and
excited by work, by plesure and by riot; we will sing
cioni’s death. Boccioni also introduced Severini to
that did appeal to Severini including the “violent re-
red lyricism against the force of the inertia and reac-
the multicolored, polyphonic tides of revolutions
Giacomo Balla. From Balla, Severini learned Division-
jection of the past, an exaltation of the new and the
tionary resistance of tradition”. On top of using bold
in the modern capitals”. The Rebellion has all the
ist theory. Divisionist theory is the study of optics
celebration of the city, the machine and the beauty
lines and sharp angles to represent conclict, Russolo
elements of Futurism. It expresses conflict, power
and the physics of light. “Two colors juxtaposed (or
of speed”. Later these ideas were developed and
also used color. The red represents the climate of
and violence using the city as a background. The city
‘divided’) would fuse optically at a given distance,
became the Manifesto of Futurist Painters, which was
political change and captures the pandemonium
is seen in a shade of blue, which represents its fear
resulting in an increased luminosity and a height-
signed by Boiccioni, Carlo Carra, Luigi Russolo, Balla
of demonstration. The demonstrators are preceded
and sadness, which is a result of an atmosphere of
ened representation of natural light”. These theories
and Severini.
by yellow and green, which intensifies the force of
upheaval. However, Russolo expressed himself in a
were extremely important to the Futurist doctrine
the demonstrators.
style that was unique to not only him, but to Futur-
because it has been said that Futurism could not ex-
butes that Severini agreed with while still maintain-
ism as a whole. As a result, him and his contribu-
ist without Divisionism.
ing his trademark style. He was a Futurist from
Through the simple use of geometric forms, Russolo illustrates the power that the group of demonstrators has as they “cross the canvas like arrows”.
tions to Futurism will continue to stand out.
In 1909 Severini moved to Paris where he met and became friends with many artists, poets and
In Cannon in Action we see all the Futurist attri-
his work to his ideals and he will forever be remembered as so.
CARLO CARRA When Carlo Carra first began getting involved
change in society and free love. In regards to his
with Futurism one of the first themes that began
painting The Funeral of Anarchist Galli it is said that
to emerge in his work was that of the city at night.
the “revolutionary lyricism with which he imbued
Carra abandoned earlier forms of painting and
it resulted from his sympathies for the anarchist
completely embraced the idea of Divisionism. Carra
cause”. Marinetti compared the values of Futurism,
saw Divisionism as a new way to express conflict. In
such as the rejection of the past and opposition
1904 there were a number of workers’ protests and
to the systematic mind, to the values of anarchists
the city of Milan was paralyzed by a general strike.
multiple times.
The strike led to the assassination of the anarchist
It has been said that The Funeral of the Anar-
Galli. His funeral attracted a sizable crowd made up
chist Galli “sums up the essential features of Futurist
of a number of anarchists. The police did their best
painting”. The subject is not only connected to the
to keep the crowd confined, but the anarchists led
“dynamism” of revolutionary ideas, the piece illus-
a procession that turned violent very quickly. The
trates the beauty of movement. Carra’s intent was
police ended up charging the protestors. Carra was
to immerse the viewer into the center of the action.
an eyewitness to all of these events. At first Carra
This immersion forces the viewer to struggle with
attempted to express the cruelty of the events that
the alongside the figures in the painting. Whether
took place that day through a series of drawings
his work was about the city as whole or just a single
made from memory. Six years later, based on the
element of it such as a cab or a tram, Carra engaged
original sketches, Carra began to work on a large
the theme of the city quite often in his Futurist
painting called The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli.
works. In many ways this set him apart from other
Carra took part in a number of anarchist meet-
Futurist artists such as Boccioni who painted states
ings. He eventually left Paris for London and while
of mind. Carra will be remembered for his ability to
in London found himself once again in the company
create a “physical” Futurism playing off
of anarchists. Carra liked the idea of impending