Aero Futurism. Art movement circa 1930’s
A friend saw me putting together a model the other day. They exclaimed "Oh, your like an engineer". I replied, "Actually, more like an artist."
==Aeropainting or sometimes aero-futurism.== Aeropittura (Aeropainting) was a major expression of the second generation of Italian Futurism, from 1929 through the early 1940s. The technology and excitement of flight, directly experienced by most aeropainters offered aeroplanes and aerial landscape as new subject matter.
"The changing perspectives of flight constitute an absolutely new reality that has nothing in common with the reality traditionally constituted by a terrestrial perspective."
"Painting from this new reality requires a profound contempt for detail and a need to synthesise and transfigure everything. "
These were two quotes from a 1929 Futurist manifesto, Perspectives of Flight, signed by Benedetta, Depero, Dottori, Fillia, Marinetti, Prampolini, Somenzi and Tato. The manifesto served as an inspiration for the most interesting sub-genre of Interbellum Futurism: aeropittura (aero painting).
In 1920s, the Futurist cult of the machine was focused mainly on aircraft. It is fused with fascist ideas, which, though perhaps lamentable, was a reprieve and departure from the decadence often associated with Italian art.
I like the Aeropainting depicting the Schneider Trophy Italian floatplane racers. Very nice indeed.
Yes, the MC72, a beautiful plane, and the subject of a few aero paintings. Still a record holder, albeit in a defunct category (World speed record for piston engine-powered seaplanes).
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Definitely the best looking of all the Schneider Trophy seaplanes.
Fantastic representations.
wow - who knew! Very cool.
What an interesting subject to bring up in these pages. I only vaguely read about this movement, and long forgot that it came from Italy during the zenit of fascism.
Despite that, and because, though we cannot dissociate art from its social and political environment/age, we must look back into history with unbiased eyes and seek the knowledge from it, I find some of these paintings very appealing from an aesthetical point of view. The first image is the one I recall best and still today it gives us a vertigo feeling of a diving movement.
Nice! Thanks for sharing this.
You should see Tulio Crali's full body of work, from early Futurist works of biplanes strafing villages (last image)- or dive bombing a city, (title image) -while odd to us, the Futurists glorified war because of the technological advances that they bring in a short period of time. Then, follow his work up to a painting of one of The Frecce Tricolori Fiat G-91 Aircraft. If you love aircraft and art as I do- google (images) Tulio Crali- my favorite of the Italian Futurists. Amazing images of all sorts of Italian aviation designs.
Thanks, I will check that out.
I’ve seen these types of works, but never knew was an entire art movement. Thanks for sharing. Guess I slept more in art history than I remember.
Thanks for this.