The Futurist Movement

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the origins of the Futurist Movement whose art-work reflected the energy and the changes of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. It shows how Norwegian Impressionist artist, Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - which relayed a message of total dread and horror that comes from trying to realize the preciousness of life in a world of carnage - laid the groundwork for the movement's message. The paper examines the work of others who identified with this movement, such as writer Filippo Marinetti and artist Marcel Duchamp. The paper also touches on the Dadaism movement which originated from refugees from WWI Germany and explores the works of several Dadaists, such as artist Jean Arp and historian Hans Richter.

From the Paper:

"While Dadaism had movements all over the world, it was birthed from refugees of World War I in Zurich. The dehumanizing impact of the industrial age moved into the realm of the absurd during the Great War. No one in Germany escaped the horror of that bloody war unscathed. It was like a self-inflicted plague, not altogether unlike tuberculosis or any other disease, only making less sense. During that war was the first time that the modern implements of fighting came into use on the battlefield, and the soldier in the trenches achieved a new level of insignificance. They became canon fodder, with death often time coming from hidden mines, distant snipers, from big guns and airplanes that could only be heard and not seen. The carnage of the war and the desperation that followed clearly marked the souls of these artists. Painting landscapes made no sense in that context."

More papers on The Futurist Movement:

• Analytical Essay # 132296 : "Analyzing the Theme of Modern Motion in Futurism"
• Analytical Essay # 102433 : "Modern Motion in Futurism"
• Term Paper # 105410 : "Typographic Design"

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