Futurism's Origins Explored in Padua Exhibition

Palazzo Zabarella in Padua hosts 'Futurismo. La nascita dell'avanguardia 1910-1915', a comprehensive exhibition of 121 works examining the complex and heterogeneous nature of early Futurism. The show focuses on the movement's formative years from its 1910 founding to Italy's entry into World War I in 1915. It features first-generation Futurists including Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini, and Mario Sironi. The exhibition is organized into thematic sections: 'Le radici simboliche del Futurismo' highlights works like Previati's 'Paolo e Francesca' (1909) and Boccioni's 'Veneriamo la madre' (1907-08); 'Il divisionismo' explores the influence of Divisionist technique, exemplified by Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo's 'Il roveto' (1900-02); 'Spiritualismo' features Boccioni's 'Quelli che vanno' (1911); 'Dinamismo' showcases Carrà's collage 'Cavallo e cavaliere' (1915) and Boccioni's 'Natura morta di terraglie, posate e frutti'; 'Vita moderna' addresses contemporary complexity; 'Tridimensionalità-Polimaterismo' presents Boccioni's masterpiece 'Forme uniche della continuità nello spazio' (1913); 'Simultaneità' and 'Parolibere' explore simultaneity and visual poetry; the war section reinterprets Marinetti's phrase 'sola igiene del mondo' as a metaphor for artistic creation; and the final section 'Ricostruzione futurista dell'universo' shows Futurism's expansion into fashion, graphic design, publishing, and toy design.