A Fork in The Road
Decisions Made in Art
Curated by Sydney Reed

Umberto Boccioni, The City Rises, 1910

To put it frankly, the Futurists loved themselves. In their minds, their art was not only the future, but also the art that would replace all past works and become the new model for all art. They planned to fulfill this by destroying anything defined as “old” to their standards. They hoped to “destroy museums, libraries, academies of every kind,” all in an effort to leave only their art standing.  The Futurists attempted to force their theory of art upon others, insisting that speed, war, momentum, force, and industry were the ways of the future, all elements of their paintings. The Futurists left practically no stone unturned in their valiant effort to make their voices heard, not only expressing their plans through paintings, but also through manifestos, speeches, rallies, sculptures and Noise Orchestra concerts. The Futurists urged Italy to join the first World War, a movement that would both support the Futurists claim that war was the future, but also could possibly lead to the destruction of “old” art and the institutions that placed such art on a pedestal.

The Futurists wanted their art to change every viewer’s perspective of the world. They wanted the viewer to feel as though they were part of the painting, engulfed by the swarm of people, taxis, bikes, etc. that raced down the road every day. They used harsh, short lines to show “flux,” blurred scenes with a cubist influence (a little hypocritical, don’t you think?) to show the speed of a racing car, and contrasting colors that caused your eye to rapidly move from color to color. The Futurists made their art forceful, pieces of art you couldn’t walk by without it catching your eye. But, that was the point? Futurists wanted to ensure that everyone recognized their talent, yes, but more so their message. The future was coming quickly, you could say - and the Futurists probably would have - almost as a train racing to carry weapons to war. The Futurists weren’t about to let people remain unaware of this speed, and in order to do so, they removed the viewers’ decisions to remain in the past and miss their art in the gallery, or their rallies in the street, or their manifestos that appeared in newspapers and were read aloud.