From its foundation in Feb. 1909 through WWII, futurism developed into the first international cultural-political avant-garde. Its aim was a revolutionary transformation of all spheres of life and its influence extended to the whole of Europe, parts of Asia, and the Americas. Combating the traditionalism of turn-of-the-century European culture, the movement sought to found a cosmopolitan (but nationalist) counterculture based on the exaltation of youth, speed, violent revolt, innovation, and experimentation. Hence the movement's name: the label "Future-ism" denoting at once adoration of the new and struggle against the prevalence of "past-ism" or passatismo (the idolatry of the past). In its first decade of existence Futurism became the first full-fledged cultural/political avant-garde of our century, gathering together painters, musicians, architects, political revolutionaries, and poets from several European nations. A key progenitor of later movements such as Dada, Vorticism, and Surrealism, Futurism had a powerful formative influence not only on the cultural atmosphere of Italy during the Fascist era (1922-1945), but also on 20th century culture as a whole.
For more information about this course, visit the Harvard University Course Catalog.