February 17, 2010
The revolt in Futurism: Luigi Russolo
Luigi Russolo was a member of the Futurist group in Milan. One of the signers of the "Manifesto of Futurist Painting", by the 1913 he had completed numerous compositions that reflected the cult of machinery and doctrine of Futurist Aesthetics. Yet that same year his interest in music prompted him to change fields and begin experimenting with sounds and noises. The artist's love of music was already reflected in his futuristic paintings. More than his other Italian colleagues, Russolo concentrated on mighty, orchestral chords produced by a few strong colors. This compositions are shot through by synaesthetic stimuli that convey both visual and acoustic experiences. The revolt ( La Rivolta) is one of the early Futurit works to address the current political situation in Italy. Like Umberto Boccioni and Carlo CarrĂ , he had first-hand experiences of the labour uprisings, unrest and social injustices that grew out of the conflict between rapid industrialization and an outmoded social structure. In a painting like "The Revolt" the Futurist attempted to bridge the gap between utopia and reality.