Futurism in America: 1909-14

Author(s): John Oliver Hand

Source: Art Journal, Vol. 41, No. 4, Futurism (Winter, 1981), pp. 337-342
Published by: College Art Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/776443 .
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Futurism in America: 1909 14

John Oliver Hand

The Futuristmovementbeganin 1909 with Of coursethe questionis manysided. The authorthus suggeststhat a Futuristis
F.T.Marinetti's FoundationandManifestoof Europe is alwaysobjecting to ourattempt anyonewhodiscardsthepastin hissearchfor
Futurism.Itwasnot,however, untilMay1915, at artisticinnovation thatweneglectthe a new meansof expression,andMarinetti in
at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in SanFran- indispensable factorof continuity of un- coiningthe termFuturismis thepersonwho
cisco, thatactualpaintingsand sculptureby brokentradition. Hereas in mostplaces observedin thedisparategroupof rebelsthat
werefirstdisplayed
the ItalianFuturists in the the matteris of degree.If we needmore "allwerecharacterized bythehappyfacultyof
UnitedStates.Meanwhile, however,theAmeri- numerous tangibleevidences of thepast, a contemptfor tradition."Listedas Futurists
canpublichadbeenexposedto Futurist mani- theseFrenchandItalianartistsfeelthat areCatulleMendes,PaulAdam,Gustave Kahn,
festoes, reproductions of Futuristpaintings, theyrequire more"tabula rasa."2 andGabriele D'Annunzio,allwritersandpoets
anda largebodyof literature dealingwiththis whoseworksoccurredwithfrequency in the
artmovement. Throughthemediumof news- Inviewof thepublication dateof thisarticle, pagesofPoesia.
and
papers magazines, a widevarietyof material it is not clear who the "French and Italian WhileTridondoes not reprintor mention
was madeavailablewhichmakesit possible artists"are.Sincetherewereno paintingsin Marinetti's
FoundationandManifestoof Fu-
for us to see how the conceptof Futurism 1909 thatcould be labeled"Futurist," it is turism,thepointof departure formanyof his
developedin America. likelythattheauthoris referring to modernart commentsand criticismscan be read as a
The initialFuturistassaulton the public in generalandmayevenhavehadin mindthe directresponseto itscontents.Forexample,a
cameon 20 February 1909,whenF.T.Marinetti writersandpoetswhocontributed to Poesia. photographof a painting
entitled
LoveWhispers
publishedtheFoundationand Manifestoof Curiously, thisinitialarticleseemsnotto have is reproducedwhich shows a nearlynude
Futurismin French,in theParisnewspaper Le sparkedan interestin Futurism in theUnited womansurrounded byhovering putti;theaca-
Figaro.Copiesof themanifesto weresimulta- States,forbetween1909andlate1911I have demicstyleis reminiscent of Gleyreor Bour-
neouslymailedto personsof importance in foundno otherarticlesdealingwiththemove- guereau.Tridon'sreactionis adverse:
and
Italy published in Italian
and French in the mentin periodicalsor newspapers.3
avant-garde magazine Poesia. The firstFuturist However, on 24 December1911,themaga- "Agirl,sweetasa morselofsicklyconfec-
manifestowhich sings of danger,of violent zinesectionof theNewYorkHeraldcarrieda listenstosomeimpossible
tionary, butterfly
movement,of artisticanarchy,was quickly full-pageillustrated articleentitled"TheNew Cupids.Whatis she doingin thismost
spreadthroughout An
Europe. English transla- Cult of Futurism is Here" (Fig 1). Thearticle artificial
attitudewiththeridiculousCupids
tionof themanifesto appeared intheApril-July is an interviewwith AndreTridon,who is nearher?Onlyonething.Sheisproviding
issue of Poesia for 1909 and,perhapsmore termedthe"archpriest of Futurism inAmerica," anopportunity fortheartisttoattract
cus-
importantly,wasaccompanied byexcerpts from and set in Tridon's"Futurist Studioin East tomersbyselling a nudeinashopwindow."
reviewsfroma varietyof foreignjournalsin- Nineteenth Street,NewYork."Futurism is de-
cludingthe LondonDaily Telegraph andthe finedas "Looking to theFuture,andforgetting In his commentson thenude,Tridonis firmly
New YorkSun. If not the first, these are theWorship of thePast-knockingthePast,in in line with the statementin the Technical
certainlyamong the earliestinstances of the fact." In the wordsof Mr.Tridon: Manifestoof FuturistPainting,datedApril
use of the word Futurismin Englishas a 1910,thatthenudein painting is "asnauseous
responseto Marinetti's proclamation. "Futurism believes in makingthepresent andas tediousas adultery in literature."5
Portionsof theFuturist Manifesto itselfhad an attribute of the futureratherthanof Movement alsois stressedin Tridon'sbrief
been reproducedin theNew YorkSun and, thepast... Toforgetconvention ascon- commentson painting:
althoughbrief,thearticletoucheduponMari- vention.To fit the presentneedto the
netti's desire to have Italyrecognizedas a presentcircumstance. Toforgetthepast, "Inpainting itself... Futurism standsfor
modernnationand not merelyas a landof whichis wrong,whichis dead.Toknock a movement whichis the expression of
ruinsandmuseums. Among theforeignexcerpts convention-which is onlythepastcrys- life.Natureis neverstill,thereforein art
reprintedinPoesiain April-July 1909wasthe tallizedintohabit-out of paintingand movement is as important as form.The
followingcommentfromtheNewYorkSun: writing andtalking andeverything wedo."4 newspapercartoonistwhobylinesindicates
Winter1981 337
 theprogressofa brickthrough
theairis a
crudeFuturist.Thissenseof movement
the Futuristproperattemptsin a more
artisticmanner."

Bywayof illustration wearegivena drawing of

a coupledancing(seeFig.1), probably whipped
up bythe staffartist.Thefiguresareexecuted
in a stylereminiscent of ArtNouveauandare
surroundedby a halo of swirlinglines. It is
importantto keep in mindthatTridonhas
seen no examplesof ItalianFuturism andis
tryingto extrapolatevisualimagesfromthe
statementsin variousmanifestoes; hencethe
best andperhapsonlyequivalents thathe can
find for the Futuristconcernwithmovement
arecartooning andthesculptureof Rodin.
Tridon'sthoughtsaboutartandlife in the
UnitedStatesareperceptive andoftenamusing.
Hereactsagainstcurrent standards inAmerican
literature;thesehe viewsas theinheritance of
Britishweaknesses-namely,"mawkish sen-
timent,anunrealandutterlyuntrueanalysisof
sex, emotionanda marriage whichendswith
orangeblossoms.Thisis notlife.Itis a simple
piffle.In thisAmericahas failedbecauseshe
has looked behindratherthanahead."His
statementon cookingruns along the same
lines:American cuisineis "vileandalmostas
dreadfulas cookinginEngland." Tridonnotes
in dismaythatdespitegas andelectricappli-
ances thatcan keep food fresherthanever
before,peoplein the UnitedStates"arestill
eatingcornedbeef,whichwasperhapsa suit-
ablefoodforveryprimitive times,whenfresh
meatwasunavailable."
Tridon'smost lavishpraiseoccursin his
discussionof the contributions of the United
Statesto architecture. Becauseof America's
capacity forself-reliant
andoriginalproduction
greatthingsare accomplished. A photograph
juxtaposes a Neo-Classical buildingagainsta
soaringskyscraper. Thecopyunderneath the Jm
- -w &wI ir
_f^^IRm*Ari
photograph reads: lvtJ "IISUll
Fig. 1 NewYorkHerald,24 December1911.
Fig. 1 NewYorkHerald, 24 December 1911.
AMERICAN BANK-AFTER THEGREEK
STYLE OFARCHITECTURE. HORRORS! politicalactivismthatbecamepartof theFu- upondoingawaywiththe pastandglorifying
"TheworstphaseofAmerican architecture turist movement.6This attitudewould also movement.AndreTridonhas thus laid the
is thatin whichwe copyancientstyles seem to be allied with Tridon'sbelief that basisforthelaterdichotomy betweena defini-
quiteunadapted to modern uses.Think of andhencemodernity
activity mustbe expanded tionof Futurism as a specifically
Italianmani-
all the banksbuiltuponthe modelsof to includeall areasof humanexistence:"If festationandone encompassing anyforward-
Greektemples! Toworship godsin, they some of our millionairecollectorsapplied lookingavant-garde activity.
werepossibly wellenoughin theirGreek theirartisticinstinctsbasedon pastcenturies Thesecondreporton Futurist activities
that
environment.Asavenues forfinancialcon- to the bankingbusiness,theywouldbe lucky appeared in 1911is to be foundin anunsigned
encestheyarecumbersome, draughtyand to possessenoughmoneyto purchasea paper articleentitled"TheFuturist Movement in Italy,"
ridiculouslyout of key to the general umbrella." in the Augustissue of CurrentLiterature.7
characterofsurrounding architecture.' Theconceptof Futurism thatemergesfrom Thearticlebeginswitha reporton theuproar
this interviewwithAndreTridonis thatof a causedby the obscenitytrialon 8 October
A skyscraper,on the other hand, is great generallymodernistmovementthat argues, 1910, of Marinetti's novelMarfarkathe Fu-
becauseit is functionallysuitedto thespecific first, that the past mustbe forgottenand if turist; the trial endedwith the defendant's
needsof a metropolis: "Itis hygienic,attractive, necessary ridiculed thatdynamic
and,secondly, acquittaland triumphant departurefromthe
an economizerof effortandtime-a perfect originality welcomesthe advancesof modern courtroom. Included,too,is a largeportionof
machine." technology, usesthemfunctionally
anddiscards the first FuturistManifestoin a translation
Fromcertaincomments madein thearticle, themwhentheybecomeobsolete.Therefore it authorized byMarinetti.8
Tridonrevealshimselfas somethingof a So- is quitepossibleto interpret Futurismas simply In contrastto Tridon'sbanterandattempts
cialistandthisputshimcloseto thatspiritof a mannerof thinkingthatplacesan emphasis to shock the public,the tone of this second

338 ArtJournal
articleis moderateandobjective.Futurism is
seen primarily as a literaryandpoliticalphe-
nomenon,but as yet not connectedwiththe
visualarts.Theanonymous authoris concerned
withsofteningor puttingintocontextsomeof
Marinetti'smoreextremestatements: "Burning
themuseums,he [Marinetti] admitssomewhat
lingeringly,is onlya figureof speech;all he
wantsis thatartistsand writersshoulduse
theirowneyesandformtheirownstandards
forthegeneration ofwhichtheyarea part,and
not 'seelifethrougha mistof souvenirs.'"9
Thedifferencein bothmethodandintentof
the two precedingarticlestellsus something
aboutthe kindsof information on Futurism
that existedin the UnitedStatesin the year
1911.Ontheonehand,Tridon's sensationalism
turnsfromEuropean modernism to a discus-
sion of the meritsand defectsof American
culturalhabits.Atthesametime,however,his
articledemonstrates an understanding of the
aimsof Futurism thatgoesbeyondmeredocu-
mentation.Thearticlein CurrentLiterature
withitsmoremoderate andapparently objective
viewpoint looks in on Futurism fromtheout-
side. Althoughthe TechnicalManifestoof
Futurist Painting had been in circulation
sinceApril1910,andseveralFuturist paintings
hadbeenexhibitedin theMostrad'ArteLibera
in MilaninApril1911,botharticlesconcentrate
on the literary,poetic,andtheatricalaspects
of Futurism.
Incontrastto thesparseness of documenta-
tionin theyears1909-11,theyear1912saw
anabundance ofarticles andnewspaper reports.
Thisincreaseis duein largepartto theaccel-
eratedactivityof the Futurists in paintandin
print,aswellastothefactthatFuturist paintings
were displayedin LondonandParis.English
reviewsand criticism,more accessiblethan
publicationsin foreignlanguages,madetheir
wayintotheUnitedStates.
Anexhibitionof Futurist paintingwasheld Fig. 2 TheSun,25 February1912.
at the Bernheim-Jeune Galleryin Paris,5-24
February 1912,andwasreviewed in anarticle standards" thepaintings are"crude,primitive, turnsto Rodinwhomhefinds"outlining thevery
in the New YorkSun on February 18.10The distressing, too
grotesque, simple,or toocom- artideaswhichare at thebasisof thefuturist
toneof theunsigned articleis negative through- plex."Butthesearestandards of thepastand doctrine." TheseareRodin'sinterestin motion
out, withthe paintingsdeclaredto be "from cannotbe appliedto the creationof contem- andhisviewthattheentiretyof a movement is
everypointof view ... the mostgrotesque" poraryart. Manyof the ideaspresentedare necessarily morethanjustthesumof itsparts.
andFuturist theory"arevoltagainsteverything similarto theonesputforthin Tridon's article Citedis Rodin'spracticeof sketchingmodels
alreadyrecognizedas anestablished principle for theNewYorkHeraldin 1911.Onceagain as theyroamedaroundhis studio,ratherthan
in art." Twopaintingsare reproduced,Les he praisestheskyscraper becauseit"fitlyrep- posingthemin posturesthat"becomecon-
Adieux by Boccioniand TheFuneralof the resentsthetypeof beautydearto futurists, the gealedfromprotracted immobility."13
AnarchistGallibyCarra; botharedamnedby beautyof feverishactivity, of manifold interests, Becausethe Futurists areworkingfroman
thereviewer. of simultaneous of healthypower."
sensations, entirelyoriginalconceptionof "dynamism"
Thefollowing Sunday, 25 February, theNew Whatis newhereis theadditionof Boccioni's andperspective theirpaintings willnecessarily
YorkSunpublished a full-page illustrated article phrase"simultaneous sensations,"whichno confuseanddistressthelayman. Tridon typifies
entitled"TheFuturists, LatestComersin the doubt comes from Tridon'sreadingof the traditionalAlbertianperspective as something
Worldof Art"(Fig. 2).1 It was writtenby Introduction to thecatalogue oftheBernheim- externalto thepaintingand,conversely,explains
AndreTridon,whonowhasthetitle"organizer Jeuneexhibition.12 that Futurismdemandsa particularkind of
of theFuturist Societyof America," although I ForTridonit is theextraordinary vitalityof empathy. Bywayof illustration, LuigiRussolo's
havefoundnoindication thatthisorganization the Venusde Miloandtheirresistible onrush "StreetRiot" 14 is reproduced twice.Oneof
ever existed.Tridonbeginsby reprimanding in the Victoryof Samothracethatexerttheir the reproductions is tiltedto an angleof ap-
the correspondent of the previousweek for peculiarfascination on visitorsto the Louvre proximately45 degrees;this, accordingto
viewingFuturistpaintingsin a conventional andnotmerelythefactthattheyaremonuments Tridonmakesthe sceneappearto havebeen
manner.Heagreesthataccording to "classical of ancientcultures.Ashe did earlier,Tridon drawnin "traditional perspective" fromthe
Winter1981 339
 outsidelookingin.However, withFuturist per- that followedin the popularpress and in exposeyourself asa fossilandbringdown
spectivethe spectatoris invitedto sharethe literarymagazines on bothsidesof theAtlantic. the contemptof all youngladiesthere
viewpointof the mobandthusto becomean Forexample,thereis the unsignedarticle presentwitha copyof HenriBergson in
activeparticipant in thepainting. entitled"Painting the'Simultaneousness ofthe theirhands.Fortheyoungmaestro will
Tridonconsiders theconceptof "dynamism" Ambient,"'whichappearedin TheLiterary turnlanguidly uponyouandexplainin
to be relatedto thecomplexity of thematerial Digeston 23 March1912.16Whilenooriginal elementary termsadapted toyourintellec-
treated;he notesthatBellini,thetraditionalist criticismis putforward,emphasisis givento tuallevel,thatas a modern artist,he has
composer, treatsonly one motif or melody at a the theoretical of
necessity depicting simulta- no purpose and no end in view,butthathe
time,butthatWagner"inorderto represent neousstatesof mindandtheinterpenetration is simplypressing forward intospace.The
musically a complexstateof mind,interweaves of objectsthatresultsfromthisconstantflux. phrase,we believe,comesfromBergson,
the motiveof the Valkyr's Ride,theWalhalla Theauthorseemsto be mildlyirritated bythis but it is to-daywidelycurrentwherever
andtheDeathSongmotive." Tridon thenquotes andopenshis articleas follows: youthcongregates.
fromthoseportionsof thePariscatalogue that
stressthesimultaneity andinterpenetration of Peoplewhohavehitherto thoughtthem- Despiteitslightheartedness, thismentionof
objects as seen and in
experienced space. selves sane have held to a certain self- is
Bergson extremelyimportant as one of the
Realizing thatthismightbe tooabstract forthe evident principlethatartconsisted, among earliestlinkagesin the UnitedStatesof the
averagereader,he returnsto the parallelof otherthings,of selection. Sincea canvas Frenchphilosopher withFuturist theories,with
the newspapercartoonistthathe hadusedin is butlimitedspace,it is better touseit to theirstresson theevocationof movement and
his previousarticle.Thisis quicklyrelatedto express a limited number of facts.But a constant need to re-create experience.20 As
Severini's painting "ADancer,"whichin much schoolof paintingis nowclamoring for theauthorputsit, "Life,youmustlearn,is the
thesamemannersuggests,through"themany attentionthatdefiesthisprinciple. They policemanof theuniverse, whosefunctionitis
wavesof lightandcolorradiating intriangular wishtoexpress everything atonce-thatis, to makemenkeepon moving.Whither oneis
massesfromherhipsandshoulders," andthe everything thatcancomewithinthefieldof movingis an entirelyunimportant considera-
successionof profileandfull-faceviews,the visionandcognition atanygivenmoment. tion,so longas youdo it veryfast."
variouspositions assumedbythisyoungwoman Aparallelis foundin theworkof the Notedis the Futuristargumentthat "the
in thecourseof hergyrations. amateur photographer who, in forgetting Present is alwaysdescribedas anunrealthing,
Regardingthe othertwo paintingsrepro- towindthefilmaftereachexposure, finds as mummifiedTradition...as the slave of
duced in the article,Laughterby Umberto thathe has "two,andsometimes three, meaninglessformulae,"but the authorgoes
Boccioniand"Remembrances of a Night"by pictures on thesamefilm,oneon topof on to say that in actualitythat situationis
LuigiRussolo,Tridonstressesthefragmentation theotherin inextricable confusion."17 reversedand "it is Youththathas gonemad
of motionandinterpenetration of severaldif- withtheory":
ferentmentalstatesthatarepartof thesingle OnSunday,24 March,thecolumnist forthe
instanceof remembering. NewYorkDailyTribunedevoteda largepor- ButwhentheFuturist paintsa babyit is a
Thearticleendswitha few commentson tion of his "Matter of Art"to the Futurists.18 metaphysical baby,bornin theBergsonian
thecircumstances thataccompanied thereading Theauthor'sanimosity is amplyillustrated by philosophy and bredin revolt.Andhe
of theManifestoof the FuturistPaintersin thefollowingstatement: represents the babyas visualized by an
Turinon 8 March1910.Includedis theanec- anxiousmotherwith a headache,her
dote aboutMarinetti's face-savingabilityto Theastonishing thingis thattheyhadgot armsfull of bundles,clingingto a strap
catchan orangethatwasthrownat him,peel themselves exhibitedatall,andthatpeople betweentwofat men in the subwayat
it, and eat it withthe greatestunconcernin werewillingtowriteandtalkaboutthem 5:30.Whichisreality andlifeandwhichis
frontof an outragedaudience.Afterthisthe with moreor less seriousness. At this convention andtheory, maybeleftforany
manifestoitselfis printed. momenttheyarebeingshownin London unprejudiced jurytodecide.
Tridon'sclosingparagraph is important in andEnglish critics
aresolemnly explaining
light of later developments in America, for he them. They deserve no explanation.... Thiscan be seen as a sharpcommentary on
maintains a separation of Futurism fromother Theshowsuggested nothingmorethana thefactthatFuturist artwasprecededbywhat
modernmovements: colossalbluffbywhicha groupof impos- seemedto be a fullyarticulated theory.Theory,
sibletheorists actuallypersuaded people however,is supposedto resultfromtheobser-
Suchis futurism inpainting.Ithasnothing tocomeandlookatsomanysquare yards vation, generalization,and distillationthat
in commonwithPost-Impressionism or of colored canvassetwithinframes. comesfromlongyearsof practice.
Cubism.Thesetwo schoolsare merely Thefinaleofthisessaydeserves toberanked
tryingto interpret staticmotionless life. Thiscomment is another example of thelita- alongsidesome of the writingsof Marinetti
Futurism onlywishesto seeandto repro- ny,constantin thecriticismof moder art,that himself:
ducelivinglife, everlastingly changing, theFuturists (oranyothergroupforthatmatter)
and to watchto-daythe growthof the aresimplyperpetrating a hoaxon thepublic. It is forthePresent to clingto itslimited
germfromwhichtomorrow willspring up. Eminently moreenjoyable, butnolessnega- horizon,to sufferandendure.To paint
tive, is the caustically wittyarticle"Pressing sounds, todancecolors, toreproduce odors
Thisis the last appearance of Tridon'sviews ForwardIntoSpace,"whichappearedin The on the gramophone, to setthebinomial
on Futurism.'5 Nationon 11April.'9 Theanonymous author's theoremto music-that is notfortimid
DuringthemonthofMarch1912,theFuturist targetsareprimarily theFuturists andsecond- soulsandpalsiedhands.0 Youth! 0 Val-
exhibitionfromtheBernheim-Jeune Gallery in arilytheusemadebythemandother"modern- iance!0 Bourgeoning Life!0 Crimson vest
Pariswas displayedin the SackvilleGallery, ists" of the popularized philosophyof Henri of Theophile Gautier! 0 MakeBelieve!
London.Theprefaceto theoriginalexhibition Bergson. Forasnotedintheopening paragraph:
catalogue,probablywrittenby Boccioni,was By 1912 a point of synthesishad been
translated intoEnglishandthis,togetherwith Be warnedand refrainfromaskingthe reachedwherethecompilation of reviewswas
thepaintings themselves, provided a richsource youngpainter ortheyoungmusician what acceptableandthetoneof thewritingwasless
for the welterof commentary and criticism is thepurpose of hisart.Youwillthereby sensational.Forexample,the articleentitled

340 ArtJounal
"TheChallengeof 'Futurist' Art,"whichap- aries;andyetwehavetofacethefactthere Notes
peared in the July 1912 issue of Current is aptto be a lunaticfringeamongthe Thispaperisbasedona Master's thesiswritten for
Literaturequotesfroma varietyof English votaries ofanyforward movement. Inthis theUniversity of Chicago andis dedicated to the
publications,fromAndreTridon'sarticlein recentexhibitionthe lunaticfringewas memoryofJoshuaC.Taylor, friendandteacher,
the New YorkSun andfromWilliamMarion fullyin evidence in theroomsdevoted to whosuggested the topicandgavewisecounsel
Reedyof the St. LouisMirror.Interestingly, theCubists andtheFuturists, ortheNear- and criticism.I am indebtedto AnneCoffin
three of the five photographic creditsgo to Impressionists.24 HansonandMarianne W.Martin forusefuledi-
Tridonindicating thathe wasin directcontact torialsuggestions.
withMarinetti.21 Lastly,thereis thedelightful poemthatappeared 1Fondazione e Manifesto delFuturismo, Poesia
By 1913 the American publichadhadthe in theChicagoTribuneon 9 February 1913: (Milan),vol. v, nos. 1-2 (February-March
opportunity to see reproductions of Futurist 1909),pp. 1-9. Fora translation of the
paintingsandhadreadportionsof theFuturist I donotsaythatFuturism initialmanifesto seeJoshuaTaylor, Futurism
manifestoes.It had also been exposedto a Maymerelybeastigmatism (NewYork,1961),pp.124-25.
varietyof newspaper andmagazine articleson I donoturgetheFuturist 2 "LeFuturisme et la Presseinternationale,"
Futurism, someof whichidentifiedthemove- Tohastento anoculist; Poesia,volv,nos.3-6 (April-July 1909),p.24.
mentas specificallyItalianwhileothersused IfthisorthatI can'tdevine 3 TheonlyEnglish-language publication listed
thewords"futurism" or "futuristic"to denote It'seighttofivethefaultis mine.25 by Gambillo DrudiandTeresaFiori,Archivi
anythingthat was modern,avant-garde, or del Futurismo(Rome,1958),forthisearly
forward looking.Thisconfusion wasnothelped InMayof 1915,theFuturists wereassigned periodis a publication entitledTheContem-
bytheopeningof theArmory Show. a galleryto themselves as partof thePanama- poraryWestern Paintingofwhichatleastone
TheArmoryShow,whichwas heldin New PacificExposition in SanFrancisco.This is the numberwaspublished in Japanin 1911;I
Yorkin February of 1913, broughtbothin- firsttimetheirpictureswereactually shownin havebeenunableto locatea copyof this
creasedamountsof information aboutmoder theUnitedStates.Forty-seven paintings byBalla, journal.
artandincreasedbewilderment to thepublic.22 Boccioni,Carri,Russolo,andSeverini, aswell 4 "TheNewCultof Futurism is Here,"New
Apressreleaseof 12December 1912indicated as twosculptures byBoccioniwereexhibited.26 YorkHerald,Sunday,14 December 1911,
thattherewouldbe anexhibition bytheleaders Although noneof theirworkswasreproduced magazine section,p. 6.
of the "newmovement in art"andin addition in thecatalogue,Boccioni'sessay"TheExhib- 5 Fora translation oftheTechnicalManifesto of
to individual roomsforMatisseandtheCubists itorsto thePublic,"whichhadappeared pre- FuturistPainting, see Taylor,Futurism,
the Futuristswouldbe shownas a separate viouslyin exhibitioncataloguesin Parisand pp.125-27.
unit.Consequently, thepublicwasledtobelieve London,wasreprinted.27 6 Foran interpretation of Marinetti's political
thattheywouldfindFuturistpaintingsat the Viewedagainstthe bodyof writingsin cir- views,seeJamesJoll, "F.T.Marinetti, Futurism
ArmoryShow,but for reasonsthatare not culationin theUnitedStatesfrom1911onward, andFascism," in Three Intellectuals in Poli-
entirelyclearthiswasnotthecase.23 Christian Brinton'sImpressionsof tbeArtof tics.(NewYork,1960),pp.133-78; also"II
It is withthe ArmoryShowthatwe finda the Panama-PacificExpositionaptlysum- Manifesto politico deiFuturisti,"Poesia,vol.v,
completebifurcation in the use of thewords marizesmanyof the facetsof Futurist artand nos.3-6(1909), pp.35ff.
"futurism"and "futuristic." The misunder- theoryavailableto Americans evenbeforethe 7 "TheFuturist Movement in Italy,"Current
standingandattendant misuseof theseterms paintingsarrivedin SanFrancisco: Literature,vol.51 (August 1911),pp.206-08.
rests,I believe,on twoseemingly contradictory 8 Ibid.,pp.206-07.
aspectsof the relationshipof the publicto Amida vastamountofviolence andbom- 9 Ibid.,p. 207.Theauthorisdrawing from"Les
modernart.First,as MiltonBrownhasmade basttherelurkat thebasisof Futurism, Premieres Victoires duFuturisme. Interview de
quiteclear,Americans werenotpreparedfor certainvaluableandinvigorating truths. M.Marinetti parun redacteur deComedia,"
the visualimpactof European modernism as Asanartistic demonstration it isvirileand Poesia,vol.v,nos.3-6, pp.3-4.
seen in theArmoryShowandwereunableto anti-sentimental. It is exhilarating, posi- 10"TheLatest ThinginFrench Artisthe'Futuriste'
assimilateinstantly thenewimageryor differ- tive,andnationalistic. Innocountry save Painting," NewYorkSun, 18February 1912,
entiateamongstylesandmovements thathad Italycouldsuch tendencies havetaken supplement, p. 5.
developedoverseveraldecades.Secondly,as form,fortheFuturist artis innately vivid, 11AndreTridon,"TheFuturists, LatestComers
thispaperhasattempted to show,theconfusion colourful, andeffective. It is thedesireof in theWorld ofArt,"NewYorkSun,Sunday,
surrounding the Futuristsis due in no small the Futurist to interpret life as it throbs 25February 1912,sectioniv,p. 9.
degreeto the factthattheirmanifestoes had andsurgesabouthim,to catchitsmove- 12ItwasBoccioni whowaschieflyresponsible for
appearedin severalmagazines andnewspapers ment,to conveya senseof itscomplexity, writingthe Introduction to the catalogue; a
creatingcertainexpectations aboutthegroup bothvisualandpsychic.Everything that translation appears in Taylor,Futurism,pp.
andtheiraimswhichwereconfusingandim- one sees,thinks,feels,or recallsmaybe 127- 29.
precise.Thus,whentheFuturists didnotappear crowdedinto a Futuristcanvas.These 13ForRodin's career andreputation intheUnited
in theArmory Showas expected,itwasnatural menarestriving,oneandall, to destroy States,see AlbertElsen,Rodin (NewYork,
for the publicto shiftthe valueof the word the traditionalfixityof impression. They 1963),pp.159- 60 andthepostscript byPeter
"futurist"froma specificmovementand to aim to demolishthetheorythata given Selz, "Rodinand America," pp. 191-95.
allow it to becomea genericor descriptive sceneis inalterably focussedin the eye. Tridon'sarticlereproduces a statement by
termformodernism as a whole. Theirarttypifiesnotunity,butdiversity, not Rodinon motionin hissculpture SaintJohn
Thepopularity oftheterminitsgenericsense thatwhichis deadandimmobile, butthat theBaptistwhichwastaken, withmodifications,
canbe seenin President TheodoreRoosevelt's whichisvital,fluxional, anddynamic.28 fromthesectionentitled"Movement in Art"
pronouncements on modernartpublishedin in P. Gsell,ArtbyAugustRodinandwould
Outlookshortlyafterhis March4 visitto the John OliverHand is CuratorofNorthern havebeenavailable toAmericans in a transla-
Armory Show: EuropeanPainting,NationalGalleryof tionpublished in Bostonin 1912.Readers of
Art,Washington, D.C.Hespecializesin Tridon's articlemightalsohavebeenfamiliar
It is vitallynecessary
tomoveforward and Netherlandish andGerman artof thefifteenth with EllenKey,"ADaywithRodinat His
to shakeoffthedeadhandofthereaction- and sixteenthcenturies. StudionearParis," NewYork Sun,11February
Winter1981 341
 1912,p. 6. lectionsof a Night(Riccordi di una notte);
14Tridondid not use acceptedtitlesfor the and Carra'sTheFuneralof theAnarchist
paintingsillustrated. Oneeasilyrecognizes Galli(Ifuneralidell'anarchico Galli).
Russolo'sRicordidi una notte(Memories of 22Thepossibleinfluence of Futurist theoryand
a Night)andLaRivolta(TheRevolt),Boc- paintingon JohnMarinbeforethe Armory
cioni'sLaRisata(TheLaugh),andSeverini's Showhasbeenexplored bySheldon Reichin
Danseuseobsedante (TheObsessive Dancer). "John Marin, Paintingsof New York 1912,"
15Because ofTridon's accesstotheFuturists and American ArtJournal,vol.i (Spring1969),
the impactof his articleson the American pp. 45-52; andinJohnMarin:A Stylistic
public,he is a figureof someimportance to Analysisand Catalogue Raisonne(Tucson:
the historyof Futurism in America. Andre TheUniversity ofArizona Press,1970),vol.i,
TridonwasbornnearParisin 1877andeducated pp. 54-56. Wecanaddto his observations
at theSorbonne andtheUniversity of Heidel- thatanarticlewaspublished twoweeksbefore
berg.Hewasa journalist in Paris,andit was the openingof theArmory Showin theNew
thisprofession thathepracticed in theUnited YorkTribuneon Sunday,2 February 1913,
Statesafterhis arrivalaround1903.In 1914 sectionii, p. 5, entitled"JohnMarin, APainter
he was in Mexicocoveringthe revolution. with a Theory,"relatingan interview with
Shortly thereafterhebecameinterested inpsy- Marin andconnecting Marin's aimswiththose
choanalysis andtranslated works ofbothFreud oftheFuturists. However, theauthor, C.I.B.,is
andAdler.Hecontinued to writeon French not kindlydisposed towards either:"Butin
politicsandhisapparent support oftheSocialist tryingto expresstheforceshe [Marin] talks
Premier Briand recallstheaffinity forpolitical about,greatandsmall,heconveys theimpres-
activism foundin hisfirstarticleonFuturism. sion of a manmovingaboutin worldsnot
By1912atthelatest,hewasfirmlyestablished realized. LiketheItalianFuturists whoseekto
in thefieldofpsychology andaccording tothe disintegrate thingsseenintotheiremotional
obituary in theNewYorkTimeshe hadbeen constituents, he endsby denotingonly an
calledthe foremost psychologist in America. incomprehensible confusion."
In 1922hepublished twobooks,Psychoanal- MiltonBrownin TheStoryof theArmory
ysisand BehaviorandPsychoanalysis, Sleep Show(NewYork,1963),p. 156,hasmadenote
and Dreams.InthatsameyearAndre Tridon of anotherrelevant interview, thistimewith
diedof canceron November 22 at theageof Picabia,"APost-Cubist's Impressions of New
Theaboveaccount
forty-five. isbasedprimarily York," NewYorkTribune,Sunday, 9 March
ontheobituary "Tridon Dictates DeathNotice, 1913,sectionii, p. 1.InitPicabia isquoted on
Dies,"NewYorkTimes,Thursday, 23Novem- someofhisviewsabouttheFuturists.
ber1922,p. 21,col.5. 23AlfredH.Barr, Jr.,"Early Futurism," Twentieth
16"Painting the'Simultaneousness oftheAmbi- CenturyItalianArt (NewYork,1949),pp.
ent,'" TheLiteraryDigest(NewYork),23 11-12; andBrown, TheStoryof theArmory
March1912,pp.590-91. Show,pp. 57-58. Oneexplanation forthe
17Theideaofcomparing Futurist paintings with Futurists' absenceis thattheydemanded a
motionpicture orstillphotographs is onethat separate box officeas wellasseparate galleries;
occursinthewritings ofcriticsinEngland and anotherpossibility is thatafterannouncing
America aswellasFrance. Cf.Wallace Thomp- their intentionto showin NewYorkthey
son, "ANewSchoolof Painting," Harper's committed themselves toanexhibition inEurope
Weekly, vol.56 (20April1912),p. 17:"More at thesametime.
simplyandlesspoetically 'Futurists' wishto 24 Brown, TheStoryoftheArmory Show,p. 119.
showin a singlecanvaswhatthe motion 25Ibid.,p. 111.
picturemachineshowsin a seriesof rapidly 26JohnE.D.TraskandJ.NilsonLaurvik, Cata-
changingphotographs. It is asif theyhadcut logueDe Luxeof theDepartment of Fine
the fouror fivechiefpicturesof a moving Arts,Panama,Pacific International Exposi-
picturefilmintoirregular geometric bitsand tion(SanFrancisco, 1915),vol.ii, pp.273-74.
thenjoinedallthepiecestogether according to 27Ibid.,Chap.xxxvii, pp.123- 27.
a whollynew rule of visualsuggestion to 28Christian Brinton, Impressions of theArtof
conveytheideaofthewholemotionshownby the Panama-Pacific Exposition (NewYork,
themovingfilm." 1916),p. 24.
18R.C.,"TheFuturists," NewYorkDailyTri-
bune,Sunday, 24March 1912,p. 7.
19"Pressing Forward IntoSpace,"TheNation,
vol.94 (11April1912),pp.355- 56.
20 HenriBergson'sTimeand Free Willfirst
appeared in Englishin 1910;Creative Evolu-
tionwaspublished in Englishin 1911.
21 "TheChallenge of 'Futurist' Art,"Current
Literature, vol.53 (July1912),pp.106-09.
Reproduced withthecreditline "Courtesy of
AndreTridon" areRussolo's A StreetRiotin
FuturistPerspective (LaRivolta)andRecol-

342 ArtJournal