technology and the machine, such as the automobiles, are to be embraced and celebrated for its speed and beauty. No longer is a natural landscape beautiful, rather “the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath – a roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot” is seen as more beautiful than any romantic painting (Apollonio 21).In addition to celebrating the machine, the Futurist movement represents a striding towards the future. This is accomplished by rejecting all of the past, even going as far as saying that it is harmful. Marinetti instructs his followers to “destroy the museums, libraries, [and] academies of every kind” (Apollonio 22). He explains that it is damaging for an artist to daily visit museums, libraries, and academies, calling them “cemeteries of empty exertion, Calvaries of crucified dreams, registries of aborted beginnings!” (Apollonio 23).Umberto Boccioni was a follower of Marinetti, and used his ideas to create his own manifesto, Futurist Painting: Technical Manifesto, which contains the ideas and objectives manifested in Dynamism of a Soccer Player. The Italian movement represents a celebration of the machine and technology, embracing speed and dynamism. Paintings in this style utilize contrasting complementary colors, triangular patterns, and repeated patterns in order to simulate movement and feverish speed. Boccioni’s work combines many elements of modern art, for instance, the geometric design of the Cubist, Neo-Impressionism pointillist brushstrokes, and vivid coloration. Though the painting does not contain a machine in a technical sense, it is still a work inspired by the writings of Marinetti. Concerning the idea of the beauty of speed, Boccioni is successful in creating a work which has a very quick and dynamic feel to it. H...
