The past of future: Futurism

In MOMA of New York a visitor, Charles, was busied to write short notes about a Futurism painting, and a guide was illustrating these painting, and he explained that the Futurism is an artistic e literature movement born in 1909 from a manifest written from Filippo Tommaso Marinetti(1876-1944), and much artists adhered and the futurist wanted the overcoming of traditions, above all of cultural traditions, because Italy was tied to a glorious past, but from the Futurist it was alone the past, therefore a thing that by now the humankind could forgotten; a visitor asked: “Where can we read this manifest?”, and the guide: “After other guy is going to recite it”, and he continued to explication of Futurism. The second painting that Charles seen was The funeral of anarchic Galli(Fig.1) and on beside there was a copy of Brawl in gallery(Fig.2), the first of Carlo Carrà(1881-1966), a futurist Italian painter, and the second of Umberto Boccioni(1882-1916); he gazed the twice painting and written notes, very involved in these representations, above all the energy and the dynamic scenes, the strong and virile behavior, suddenly the light turned off and the dark, very thick, he looked around and was in Milan, Italy, in year 1904, and he seen around the police and visitors that following the hearse, when a voice from a side of street cried: “Anarchic shift, you must die now”; usually in every Futurist meeting doesn’t lack never the brawl, in fact the police was every present, and for this occasion, it was there; the boats and fight both to policemen and adversaries, conservators and political contraries; he looked also visitors that passed very near to him but they seem ignorer him, both because they were busied to break bones to other but also the calm visitors were there and commented and indicated something with absolutely calm; Charles was amazing to less involved of these visitors, but he turned to look immediately the brawl, and they were very busied while the policemen were surrounded the hearse and while they seeing the brawl they sometime comment something but without to intervene; Charles while written his notes and he was writing when the light turned on, and he was again in MOMA; he turned the glance and he seen same figure of visitors that were in gallery and to funeral; he was amazing and asked. “Excuse me but you was in the funeral, why you are here?”, and visitor indicated a guide that is arriving, and: “Hear him” an elegant guy gone in room and he illustrated the painting, but in front of these two Futurist painting he out loud he said: “We want sing the love for danger, habit to energy and courage. The courage, audacity, rebellion, will be elements of our poesy. 3) The literature exalted until now the pensive immobility, ecstasy and the sleep. We want exalt the aggressive movement, the insomnia, the pass of course, the mortal leap, the fist. There isn’t beauty otherwise in the fight. Nothing work that hasn’t aggressive character can be a masterpiece. We want glorify the war, because it is unique hygiene in the word, the militarism and patriotism the destructive gest…”; he was speaking to a crowd of persons that heard him with interest, and Charles asked to him: “Who are you?” he turned toward Charles answered: “I am Filippo Tommaso Marinetti”, and Charles gazed also everyone of visitors and recognized everybody that he have seen in gallery during the brawl and to funeral; hence Charles turned to a beside visitor and asked: “But Marinetti is died in 1944, and the Funeral of Carrà id datable in 1911 and the Brawl in gallery in 1910, how is possible that they are here now?”, and the visitor: “Because we are the future of past”, Charles gazed visitor and he manifested an doubtful  expression, and asked: “So what the future with past, in this contest, I am asking why they…”, the visitor breaking Charles: “We are the future of past, in spite of their name, now they are the past and we are future, their future, a future that they have seen never, because they are died before, whereby they are the past, thereupon we now are the futurist, instead they are the past; and in fact the past is passed”, and he indicated the room that was empty; Charles asked: “Why?”, and the visitor: “Because they and also me are past”, Charles gazed him and: “You are now present, thence you are now”, but he disappeared, and while Charles gone out from MOMA a guard called him and given the bag that he have to lift to entrance, he thanked that guardian and gazed the face of him, and noted a very similarities to the policeman of visitor that has explained to Charles the future of past, and he asked: “What is your name?”, and he answered: “Edward”, and Charles: “Excuse me but I am asking it, because you are very similar to a person that I have met in museum, and I haven’t asked the name”, and the guardian: “My gran father Edward, but it is impossible that you have met him because he is died in 1970”, Charles excuse again and got out from museum, and he was in a gallery while the men fought this is during a brawl, he turned around and he seen a policeman, he approached and asked: “What is your name?”, and the policeman: “Same of my nephew, Edward”.

Alessandro Lusana  

Fig.1

Fig.2