1. Beyond Anarchism Marinetti, Futurism, Futurist Anarchism
University College of London (UK), dept. of Italian,
Marja Härmänmaa, University of Helsinki, Finland / University of Cambridge, Clare Hall College

2. ”A visit” In 1865 Mikhail Bakunin went to Naples
Creation of Bakunin’s Anarchist ideology
Foundation of Anarchist movement in Italy
In 1900 the murder of King Umberto I

3. Conceptualization of Futurist Anarchism
Social utopia of Futurism?
The social meaning of Art?
The role of the artist in society?

4. Italy cradle of Anarchism
Mikhail Bakunin (1814 – 1876)
Errico Malatesta ( )
Economically a poor country
Disappointment of unification
Corruption of the political class
Cultural and political anarchism
D’Annunzio
Gian Pietro Lucini

5. Political radicalism & artistic anarchism
Associated around the mid 19th century
Changed artistic institution
New autonomy of arts and artists
Critique of middle class society and its materialistic values
France: Symbolism and Impressionism

6. Marinetti’s early social interests
Le Roi Bombance (1905)
Social revolution (led by the socialists Filippo Turati and Antonio Labriola)
Before the IWW
Against the politics of Giolitti
Connections with extra pariamentary groups
George Sorel and the theory of the use of violence

7. Marinetti and Anarchism
Theme of ’destruction’ in the first works
La conquête des étoiles (1902)
Destruction (1904)
In Paris in contact with the Anarchists
Abbaye de Créteil, utopistic community of anarchist artists

8. Futurist anarchy Foundation of Futurism (1909): Artistic anarchism
”the most aggressive revolt of the modern man towards the past and the present time”
Artistic anarchism
Against the artistic tradition
Rupture of the artistic tradition in Modernism (partly) caused by the diffusion of anarchist ideas in arts

9. ”Conferenza su l’amore del pericolo e l’eroismo quotidiano” (1910)
“E voi, forse, non avete ancora un concetto esatto di ciò che siamo e di quel che vogliamo. Immaginate nella malinconica e stagnante repubblica delle lettere e delle arti un gruppo di giovani assolutamente ribelle e demolitore che stanco di adorare il passato, nauseato dal pedantismo accademico, avido di originalità temeraria e anelante verso una vita avventurosa, energica e quotidianamente eroica, sgombrare l’anima italiana da quel amasso [sic] di pregiudizi di luoghi comuni, di rispetti e di venerazioni che noi chiamiamo il passatismo. Insomma: degli anarchici in arte, ecco che cosa sono i futuristi.”

10. Reasons to deny the past
Judeo-christian conception of linear time
Advent of the “macchina” had broken the chain of linear time
Beginning of a new era
Past did not exist

11. ”Prefazione futurista a ’Revolverate’ di Gian Pietro Lucini” (1910)
”Il presente non mai come in questi tempi apparve staccato dalla catena genetica del passato, figlio di sé stesso e generatore formidabile delle potenze future”

12. Versions of Anarchism Enlightenment Romanticism
William Godwin (1756 – 1836)
Peter Kropotkin (1842 – 1921)
A perfect society  communism
Romanticism
Mikhail Bakunin (1814 – 1876)
Max Stirner (1806 – 1856)
Individual anarchism

13. Individual Anarchism Max Stirner:
Der Einzige und sein Eigenthum (1844)
No interest towards society nor towards the arts
Importance of the individual as ’ego’ against everything
All social institutions (government, church..) are artificial concepts and thus false authorities

14. Individual aestheticism
Artist produces his uniqueness in art
Individualist makes art out of his own personality
Egoist makes art to promote himself
Partly explains the heterogeneity of modernist culture

15. ’Futurism’ as a work of art
In order to promote Marinetti
Absolute leader of the movement
Mafarka il futurista (1910)
Mafarka = Marinetti
Gazourmah = Futurism

16. Nihilism of Cultural modernism
Matei Calinescu:
Otherness and change important
Tradition of ”antitradition”
Future way out of rotten present, son of the past
When future moment is reached, it becomes present moment
Continuous destruction / rejection

17. Futurist nichilism in arts
Faith in progress
Guerra sola igiene del mondo (1915)
”Abbiate fiducia nel progresso, che ha sempre ragione, anche quando ha torto, perché è il movimento, la vita, la lotta, la speranza.”
Principle of eternal development
Nothing is supposed to last
Works of art are to be destroyed when they are ready

18. L’Aeroplano del Papa (1912)
”Sono incessantemente commisto alle mie scorie.
La mia vita è la fusione perpetua dei miei frantumi.
Distruggo per creare ed ancora distruggo
per modellare statue tonanti
che subito spezzo con lo schifo e il terrore di vederle durare!”

19. Futurist nichilism in politics
Before WW1 no social utopia
Principle of the eternal development
Ideal: the everlasting state of war
”War, world’s sole hygiene”

20. Futurist political activity
Marinetti’s growing interest towards politics after WW1
First political manifesto (1913)
Futurist political party (1918)
Democrazia futurista (1919)
Al di là del comunismo (1920)

21. Modernizing Italy Abolition of Pope, monarchy, parliament and marriage
A government of technicians in power with a council of Young people
8-hours working day

22. ”Futurist Anarchist State”
Final result of the political program
An apolitical anarchistic utopia
No class struggle
”Al di là del comunismo”
Instead of the proletariat, a spiritual aristocracy that has the right to realize the Italian revolution

23. ”Artecrazia” Jean Grave (1854 – 1939)
La societé mourante et l’anarchie (1892)
Anarchy is art
Art = supreme form of individualism
The main duty of an anarchist society is to produce culture
Oscar Wilde

24. D’Annunzio and Fiume The Republic of Fiume (1919 - 1920)
La Carta del Carnaro
Free university
Academy of fine arts
Schools of music
In every municipality an orchestra and a choir subsidized by the State and giving free concerts

25. Marinetti’s version Al di là del comunismo (1920)
”Art is an alcohol that gives optimism to citizens”
Number of artists must increase -> race of artists
In every city a centre of genius
Every month new exhibitions of art and poetry readings.
Music: in every piazza a choir and an orchestra
Life must become a work of art

26. Goodbye, anarchy!
”Il Futurismo è un movimento schiettamente artistico ed ideologico. Interviene nelle lotte politiche soltanto nelle ore di grave pericolo per la Nazione.” (Futurismo e Fascismo, 1924)

27. Avant-garde and totalitarianism
Mussolini in power in 1922
Changed position of Futurism from antagonism to collaboration with the State
Important position in the artistic life of the Fascist Italy (Venice Biennale…)
Marinetti member of l’Accademia d’Italia
Marinetti wrote 2-3 articles in the Italian Encyclopedia about Futurism
Marinetti a special propagandist of the State in case of war

28. Anarchist art Difficult to define Artistic anarchy towards society?
Artistic anarchy within the tradition of art?
Kropotkin and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon:
Art must serve the revolution
Documentary meaning: Social realism

29. Fascist art policy
Discussion started immediately when Mussolini became prime minister
Futurists wanted a strict artistic policy
Political dictatorship – artistic dictatorship
Futurism as the official art of Fascism
Futurism had collaborated in the foundation of Fascism (1919)
Fascist Italy a modern State – a need of a modern art

30. Art and anarchist society
Kropotkin:
Artist represented the conscience of humanity
Artist was able to change social reality

31. Futurist art and society
Marinetti:
”art and literature have an enormous influence upon society”
Art as a tool of social activity
Rejection of the conception ”art for art’s sake”
Social role of artist
Social role of arts

32. ”Arte – vita” Introduction of life in arts
Easy to understand
Art in direct contact with life (antiacademic)
Profanation of the Enlightened middle-class concept of ”sublime art”
Create corageously ”ugly”
Spite on the althare of the arts
Abolition of the boundaries between art – non art
New art forms: cuisine
New elements to arts: sport

33. Futurists and the Fascist art
Impossibility to detach from the socio-political reality:
”The political spirit that Mussolini has created is so impressive that the artists could not escape its influence.”
The propagandistic aim of art:
”Art must serve a universal, political or nationalistic aim.”

34. Aerofuturism Glorification of the airplanes and aviation
Propaganda of the technological progress of Italy
Nationalistic reasons
The spiritual element of flight: non-materialistic dimension of technology

36. Gerardo Dottori: Aeropittura, 1930’s

37. Aeropittura di Tato, Dinamismo aereo, 1930’s

39. ”Some strategies to disturb the order”
Anarchism = antagonistic ideology
Avant-garde = aesthetic dimension
Terrorism = strategy of realization

40. Anarchism, now?
Italy: reorganization of the anarchist movement in 1945 (Federazione anarchica italiana, FAI)
Wikipedia: anarcho-capitalism, green anarchism, anarca-feminism, anarco-primitivism…

41. Bourgeois anarchy Internet: cradle of anarchism, no authority
Collapse of Soviet Union
Growing power of multi-national enterprises
Nation States’ diminishing power
”Umanità cammina verso l’individualismo anarchico, mèta e sogno d’ogni spirito forte” (Marinetti, 1920)

42. Futurist Anarchism now (1909-2009)?
Marinetti’s anarchist strategy
Colourful language
Artistic and extra-artistic manifestations
Aiming at getting attention and at hiding a mediocre writer
Model of the modern intellectual
Television series (The Idols)
Politics (Berlusconi, Lega Nord)

43. Thanks!
”In everyone of us there is a little Anarchist… at least occasionally!” (M.H.)