A key figure of the Italian Futurist movement, Giacomo Balla vigorously pursued ways to interpret and illustrate concepts of motion, light, and speed in his work. Through repeated geometric forms and elaborate compositions of bold lines and color, he developed an artistic style the embodied the Futurist ideals.
Balla’s avant-garde style, evident in his canvases, encompassed every aspect of his life, from clothing to furnishings. Having penned a manifesto about men’s fashion in 1914, he went on to break down traditional uses and forms of clothing. His fashion designs incorporated lively coloration, dynamic lines and irregular patterns; thus optically altering shirts and ties into expressive, wearable art that made the body into a moving composition.
His dedication to the Futurist movement was also applied to interior and furniture designs. Using bold shapes and forms, a colorful palate and repeated patterns, Balla created visually stimulating furnishings that mimicked the energy of his canvases while remaining practical in their use.
Using complex, constructive, noise-producing abstraction, that is, the Futurist Style. Any action developed in space, any emotion felt, will represent for us the intuition of a discovery.
The Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe,
Giacomo Balla and Fortunato Depero
1: 24: 12
Elevated: Art Via Chicago
11:00 am ct
