Futurism-Umberto Boccioni--This Is Your New Art School

I still remember going to see a Monet retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art back around 1988. The crazy thing is the most memorable thing for me was stumbling into an exhibition by the Italian Futurist artist Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916). I was rushing around and almost blew by the exhibit, but serendipitously, I decided to stop and at least give it a quick peek. Twenty minutes later I was still there, absolutely awestruck, by the amazing kinetic motion embued by his artworks. I had never heard of this artist before, and had not heard much about Futurism except in passing. Perhaps because he was one of the leading lights of the movement and died an untimely death during World War I in horse riding accident, the movement was curtailed. But I was surprised that I did not know about this art that I found so appealing. I think that if he was born today he would be a punk.

Though I appreciate artists from any era, I find some Modern Artists the most interesting generally because they make me think. I like to try to figure out what they are representing, even from simply attempting to interpret the title of the painting. Sometimes I just admire the aesthetic beauty of the colors and patterns. If I was an artist I could appreciate better a painting of a bowl of fruit, or a landscape, or a dark toned Dutch portrait of a merchant. I know sometimes the accuracy and intricacy of these works can be unbelievable. But I just see a bowl of fruit, well done perhaps--but since the advent of photography, it all seems less relevant to me. But whenever I travel I like to hit local art galleries because you never know what you will find. And coming face to face with the great Boccioni was just one example of the benefits of keeping your eyes open and not just trying to check another artwork off the list. Anyway check this one out and see what you think.

THE CITY RISES