Page "Italian art" Paragraph 49

Futurism was first announced on Feb. 20, 1909, when the Paris newspaper Le Figaro published a manifesto by the Italian poet and editor Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.

( See the Manifesto of Futurism.

) Marinetti coined the word Futurism to reflect his goal of discarding the art of the past and celebrating change, originality, and innovation in culture and society.

Marinetti's manifesto glorified the new technology of the automobile and the beauty of its speed, power, and movement.

Exalting violence and conflict, he called for the sweeping repudiation of traditional values and the destruction of cultural institutions such as museums and libraries.

The manifesto's rhetoric was passionately bombastic ; its aggressive tone was purposely intended to inspire public anger and arouse controversy.