Futurist Manifestos

World of Art

by Umbro Apollonio (Editor), Richard Humphreys (Contributor)

On February 20th, 1909, a belligerent manifesto announcing the birth of the Futurist movement appeared on the front page of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro and sent immediate shockwaves throughout Europe. The author, a young Italian poet named F.T. Marinetti, demanded that writers and artists reject the classic art of the past and celebrate the dynamic technology of modern city life. Joined by a group of like-minded artists, over the following years Marinetti pioneered an art that would eulogise speed and industry, in a reaction against the stasis of the classics, and even against contemporary movements such as Cubism. Available in English for the first time in over 20 years, the Futurist Manifestos are fiery, explosive and witty, and crucial to any full appreciation of modern art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Philosophy, Futurism

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything old is stupid! The world is full of 'chronic necrophilia'! We're going to remake everything!

Yes well. This is the type of thing that gets written occasionally, I guess, and so from 1909 to 1916 a group of Italians was shouting in print about how they were going to bring into the world a new beauty, the beauty of speed, and how they were going to celebrate violence and masculinity and joy. Modernist stuff. Sure.
The realm where they seem to have really formed the tracks for mainstream life is architecture. But they had a big impact in a lot of other ways too. They apparently taught Pound his more extreme polemic style, so BLAST is their creation, and words-in-freedom and destruction-of-syntax, their creeds, are alternate ways of talking about how modern poetry works. Also, in the realm of music, the Art of Noise, that is, incorporating non-musical sounds into music, is a big thing. I wonder what old Marinetti would have thought of Pink Floyd's "Any Color You Like."

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, at least, these are the architects of twentieth century (modern) thought. Feisty and quite funny.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

As both an enjoyer of futurist art and ideology this is a complete must read. A well rounded overview of the futurist ideal both philosophically and artistically. This is very much a book of the time so if you're not interested about reading pieces of art history like early photography and such than this may not be for you, but if you wish to learn more about all aspects of the old futurism this is definitely something you should read.

[Freyja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at the movement. The futurists are diverse and presented many great and not-so-great ideas. Anyone interested in urbanism and modern art should give this a read, but don't take everything these 'proto-fascisti' say to heart, of course.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to dip into, whether for a few full chapters or to pick out some attractively absolutist quotations, of which there are several per page. The Futurists' manifestos were sharp, arrogant, searing and sometimes very funny—a jolt of energy even now. Of course, reading these with the hindsight of their eventual fate, with artists dying and the movement collapsing in the Great War that many of the Futurists had been so enthusiastic about, gives quite a different impression from the one they must have had on their original audience. The Futurists are still fascinating, I think, because of the many contradictions that we see in their attitudes, even if these weren't contradictions to them. They worshipped technology and speed, and also war; acknowledged that men and women embody both 'masculine' and 'feminine' traits, but then violently disclaimed the feminine; they recognised the cultural changes caused by the acceleration of technology better than anyone else around them, yet (as I said), their manifestos are filled with absolutist statements. Although they wanted to disrupt the art scene and the sensibilities of critics, and often invoked the idea of madness to do it, they were also attracted to fascism, which would destroy such disruptive freedom for those not of the elite.

The writing here is often rather difficult to get through for someone who isn't an art historian and steeped in technical terms, but other essays are poetic, straightforward, or bracingly disdainful of older schools of art and literature. I'm particularly fond of the Futurist Manifesto of Men's Clothing, which I transcribed in this blogpost. This is not a book to build one's life around, but worthwhile for a perspective on art that may still be new to you.

[Christin Neal DeLoach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there anything funnier than early 20th century men publishing manifestos on everything from art to what clothes they should wear to politics, all the while being completely serious and chauvinistic, but also able to throw wit into them? I don't think they would appreciate a 21st century woman laughing at them, but it is ok, they are all dead.

"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."

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential collection of writings by the strange, wonderful (well kind of) and war loving Futurists. A group of Italian poets and painters who wanted to take over Venice Italy and pour concrete on it. Now that is what I call a modernistic art group. Nevetheless an essential group of artists and the first art movement/group that gave the "bang" an certain aesthetic flair.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since i've been reading a lot on ecology lately, I must ground such reading in its opposite. This, of course, covers it all. Awesome.

But actually, I'm wrong. There is more than a slight connection between the futurists and their followers and the deep ecologists. weird? perhaps not.

[Anselm · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can't get excited about this shit

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

imagine being a hot blooded Italian getting really hyped about the interpenetration of objects into each other, and destruction. sounds like great fun