This
week we are going to jump to the 20th century and look at Futurism
in art and music. Futurism is an avant-garde movement that used technology and
modernity as its inspiration. It especially draws from the new machinery during
this era.
Joseph
Stella (1877-1946) is one example of an artist who favored Futurism in his
work. After discovering this type of art while visiting Paris, Stella returned
home to New York City and decided that he wanted to be able to show modern life
in his art. One famous example of his Futurist art is Brooklyn Bridge.
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| Stella's Brooklyn Bridge Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Can
you see machinery or examples of the modern era displayed in this work? What
appears to be a traffic light can be found in the lower middle section. Cables
run diagonally throughout the piece. Notice what appear to be the bridge towers
at the top and a subway tunnel toward the bottom right. In this approach to
art, nothing is exactly clear; rather it reflects the complexity of the time by
using abstract representation.
Join
me next time as we look at how composer Edgard Varese used Futurism in his
music!
