I have always had a "thing" for the 1930s, heck my son is sort of named for Nick Charles after all, so that put this exhibition right in my wheel house. Additionally, I have always had a "thing" for Italian sensibilities (and women, but we will skip over that). Finally I have always been a designer trapped in an animator's body. Put them all together and man, you're in for a internal creative loveliest that is just short of Warhol's dreams.
The artists who stood out most to me was Fortunato Depero, his work just seemed to be animated even when it was stationary. His ability to make solidly resolved graphic shapes seem to be in motion made me want to experiment with the same ideas in After Effects and MODO, perhaps with a sprinkling of Toonboom for seasoning?
I don't know the politics, despite knowing the history, because I never lived in their shoes. What I do know is that I have always had a fascination for art that is intended to tell a story to influence the underclass and convince them that their despotic leaders really have their "best interests in mind. From the German and Soviet schools to the "LIFE Magazine glazed doughnut School" this art who central precept, storytelling, has been twisted to a darker cause. In the futurists though, as in all things Italian, the artists did what they intended but they did it with a style, grace and sense of humor that was beyond their teutonic brethren.
Italian designers are like that. At the start of the second world war the Teutonic geniuses from the Black Forrests had the ME-109 as their primary fighter. Built on an assembly line with subsystems spread all over the Reich (to make sure that ALL the people had a vested interest in their manufacture). The Italians had the Macchi C.202, whose immediate predecessor had been made of wood like a sailboat. It was beautiful, agile, light and they could never make enough to keep up...manufacture apparently cut into the workers real lives too much.
At the same time Depero, with typical Italian Pragmatism, moved to New York. Fascism was not his thing but his brothers and sisters in the Futurist movement were becoming affiliated with it. Depero, who had already been working for Capari (his design for their Soda Bottle is still in use today) and Cinzano. Depero expanded his work to include Vogue, The New Yorker and Moviemaker magazines. I think this is where I was originally exposed to his work as much many of his designs are still used to teach Graphic designers to this day.The irony I find in all this is that a designer from the beginnings of the last century, who draped himself in the banner a movement called "The Futurists" produced work a hundred years ago that is still fresh and inspiring today.
Additionally, the art itself seems to have the potential for a new life in the modern tools I use everyday. For the next few days I am going to be working on a Fly Fishing web side for my pal/patron Wade Lady and I have my catalog of the Futurist exhibit on the bed next to me. When it gets further along I will post a link. My goal is to create a site that seems alive and in motion (and looks as far from anything made in WORDPRESS as is possible, I am going to be writing about WORDPRESS soon).
Oh and Pier never got to her Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, but later that night she took me to Brooklyn and scared the crap outta me so that makes us even.
