Western Art Movements II Art Movements    

Lesson 20: Futurism - Primavera Umbria (1923)

by Gerardo Dottori

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

The final example of futurism is an oil on canvas landscape called 'Primavera Umbria' (Umbrian Spring) (1923) by Gerardo Dottori. This painting showcases the Italian Umbria region in the springtime. In this piece, the viewer sees the Umbrian landscape from above. Mountains and rivers stretch out into the distance. Farms and fields in reds and yellows checker the land. Buildings cluster near the lower edge of the painting. Dottori imbued dynamism into this futurist landscape. It appears as if the land swirls around a porthole into the sky.

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.
Primavera: The Italian word for 'spring.'

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:

• Rivers
• Lake
• Farms
• Fields
• Buildings
• Roads
• Sky

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

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

Activity 3: Map the Artwork

• Gerardo Dottori lived in Milan for six months as a student and in Rome for over a decade.
• Find Rome and Milan on the map 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 23 of 'Fifth Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

What is futurism?

1 / 6

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 / 6

Question 2

What happens in the artwork?

2 / 6

Answer 2

The artwork shows a panoramic view of Umbria, Italy in the spring.

2 / 6

Question 3

Into which genre does the artwork fall?

3 / 6

Answer 3

The artwork falls into the landscape genre.

3 / 6

Question 4

To which western art movement does this painting belong?

4 / 6

Answer 4

This painting belongs to the futurism art movement.

4 / 6

Question 5

How does the artwork serve as an example of futurism?

5 / 6

Answer 5

The painting's swirling dynamism is characteristic of futurism.

5 / 6

Question 6

During which century was this artwork created?

6 / 6

Answer 6

This artwork was created in the early 20th century (1923).

6 / 6

❮ ❯

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? The artwork shows a panoramic view of Umbria, Italy in the spring.
3. Into which genre does the artwork fall? The artwork falls into the landscape genre.
4. To which western art movement does this painting belong? This painting belongs to the futurism art movement.
5. How does the artwork serve as an example of futurism? The painting's swirling dynamism is characteristic of futurism.
6. During which century was this artwork created? This artwork was created in the early 20th century (1923).

References

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

'Gerardo Dottori.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.