Western Art Movements II Art Movements    

Lesson 19: Futurism - Dynamism of a Car (1913)

by Luigi Russolo

Directions

Study the artwork for one week.

Over the week:

• Examine the artwork.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Recite the artist and artwork names.
• Read about the artwork's movement.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

Futurist artist Luigi Russolo paintied the oil on canvas 'Dynamism of a Car' in 1913. The work fractures the image of a moving car into arrows to convey its high speed and direction of motion. Commonly found in futurist works, a focus on movement, technology, and mechanical objects characterizes the piece.

Vocabulary

Futurism: An early 20th century avant-garde art movement focused on speed, the mechanical, and the modern, which took a deeply antagonistic attitude to traditional artistic conventions.

Concepts

Featured Movement:

1. Name - Futurism
2. Peak Prevalence - 1909-1914

Movement Characteristics:

1. Speed, movement, and energy
2. Science and technology
3. Mechanical objects (e.g. cars, planes)
4. Rejecting the past and looking forward - change and youth emphasized
5. See the speed, movement, and energy exemplified by Giacomo Balla's 'Speeding Automobile' (1912), an example of futurism

Common Coinciding Genres:

1. Cityscapes - 'The City Rises' (1910) by Umberto Boccioni

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Find the following in the artwork:

• Something Moving
• Something Mechanical
• Compressed Arrows
• Wider Arrows

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

• After studying the artwork, narrate the scene shown aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Map the Artwork

• Luigi Russolo was born in Italy.
• Which bodies of water border Italy?
• What is the capital of Italy?

Activity 4: Classify the Artwork

• This artwork belongs to the futurism art movement.
• Find futurism on the timeline.
• During which approximate years did futurism flourish?
• Which art movement followed futurism?

Activity 5: Recreate/Color the Artwork   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 22 of 'Fifth Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

What is futurism?

1 / 5

Answer 1

Futurism is an early 20th century avant-garde art movement focused on speed, the mechanical, and the modern, which took a deeply antagonistic attitude to traditional artistic conventions.

1 / 5

Question 2

What happens in the artwork?

2 / 5

Answer 2

A car speeds through the painting.

2 / 5

Question 3

To which western art movement does this painting belong?

3 / 5

Answer 3

This painting belongs to the futurism art movement.

3 / 5

Question 4

How does the artwork serve as an example of futurism?

4 / 5

Answer 4

The painting's depiction of a speeding mechanical object is characteristic of futurism.

4 / 5

Question 5

During which century was this artwork created?

5 / 5

Answer 5

This artwork was created in the early 20th century (1913).

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is futurism? Futurism is an early 20th century avant-garde art movement focused on speed, the mechanical, and the modern, which took a deeply antagonistic attitude to traditional artistic conventions.
2. What happens in the artwork? A car speeds through the painting.
3. To which western art movement does this painting belong? This painting belongs to the futurism art movement.
4. How does the artwork serve as an example of futurism? The painting's depiction of a speeding mechanical object is characteristic of futurism.
5. During which century was this artwork created? This artwork was created in the early 20th century (1913).

References

'Futurism.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Dynamism of a Car (Russolo).' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.