Category Archives: Futurism

These are the two movements, with more or less abstract tendencies, that first influenced the majority of experimental artists in this country, beginning about 1913 when both movements were at their height.

Cubism and Futurism, both of which had a great influence in the United States derives from the researches of Cezanne and Seurat. The beginnings of Cubism date back to about 1908 under the twin aegis of Picasso and Braque.

In the case of Cubism, the primitivist, instinctual content of Gauguin's and van Goh's paintings and the later discovery of the barbaric, expressive power of Negro sculpture played an important part in such an early cubist picture of Picasso's as his Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. And however much Picasso and his cubist followers tended to limit their researches to the still life, they never divorced themselves completely from the sentimental, even romantic, implications of their chosen subject matters the paraphernalia of the studio, musical instruments, the guitar, mandolin and violin and the characters out of the old commedia dell'arte associated with such instruments, Harlequin, Columbine and Pierrot.

Despite such emotional or non-rational elements in cubist painting, however, its rational motivation must still be said to have remained uppermQst. It consisted in a process of analytical abstraction of several planes of an object to present a synthetic, simultaneous view of it.

And by directing the formal planes of this synthetic view towards the observer rather than making them retreat by traditional perspective principles into an illusionistic space, the picture frame no longer acted as a window leading the eye into the distance but as a boundary enclosing a limited area of canvas or panel. In the so-called analytical phase of Cubism, painting tended also to be monochromatic, presumably to avoid as much as possible any sensuous or naturalistic reference to color.

The leading Cubists, Picasso and Braque, refused to take abstraction further than this point and actually in time climbed down from their pinnacle of analytical experiment to a more decorative, sensuous plateau. They left the final step of total geometrical abstraction to others.

Another proto-abstract movement, an anti-rational offshoot of Cubism, Futurism was launched by the Italian Futurists about 1910. Rebelling against the cubist analysis of static form, the Futurists were above all inspired by the dynamism of the machine, which they proceeded to glorify and to make a central tenet in their artistic credo. Man to the Futurist must accept the machine and emulate its ruthless power. By way of emulation they attempted to paint movement by indicating abstract lines of force and schematic stages in the progress of a moving image. And furthermore, in some instances they sought to involve the observer in their pictures by viewing movement from an interior position-the inside of a trolley car, for example-thus denying, as the Cubists did, formal laws of perspective.

Where the Cubists strove to eliminate three-dimensional space and thus bring the image in the picture closer to the observer, although still at a distance, the Futurists attempted to suck the observer into a pictorial vortex. The greatest difference between these two proto-abstract movements, however, is that the one, Cubism, is concerned with forms in static relationships while Futurism is concerned with them in a kinetic state.

Furthermore, the Cubists, with few exceptions, paid no attention to the machine, as such, while the Futurists, as we have said, glorified it.

The cubist movement, significantly, had no overt political implications and indulged in no manifestoes.

The Futurists, on the other hand, worshipped naked energy for its own sake and in their writings pointed forward to the power-drunk ideology of Fascism.

The Cubists, it may be said, immured themselves from any contact with the public by shutting themselves up in their studio laboratories.

The Futurists came out into the market place and demagogically attempted to appeal to the man in the trolley car. If their pictures today seem dry and doctrinaire to some of us, the ideological appeal of Futurism and its political partner, Fascism, was, we are all uncomfortably aware, quite the reverse.

Furthermore, the generally rational-minded Cubist contented himself as we have noted with the still-life materials of his studio for subject matter and abstract dissection, whereas the futurist picture falls mainly into the category of landscape and figure compositions, however urban and mechanical the emphasis.

Davis' Lucky Strike abstract art from 1921 is a good example of Cubism.

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Cubism and Futurism Abstract Art - imodern.com

Consciousness Conundrum

One of the most probable ways we will reach the Singularity is with computers that mimic our brains. But to achieve that, we will have to tackle one of the bigger mysteries of life: consciousness. What it is, how it works, and why it works will have to be answered if we want to put our brains into computers.

Sadly, we may not be able to answer those questions. Edward Witten, a bigly-regarded physicist, is of the view that we wont be able to decipher consciousness, and that it will always remain a mystery tous.

In an interview with journalist Wim Kayzer, Witten had this to say about our understanding of consciousness:

Biologists and perhaps physicists will understand much better how the brain works. But why something that we call consciousness goes with those workings, I think that will remain mysterious. I have a much easier time imagining how we understand the Big Bang than I have imagining how we can understand consciousness

Understanding the function of the brain is a very exciting problem in which probably there will be a lot of progress during the next few decades. Thats not out of reach. But I think there probably will remain a level of mystery regarding why the brain is functioning in the ways that we can see it, why it creates consciousness or whatever you want to call it. How it functions in the way a conscious human being functions will become clear.But what it is we are experiencing when we are experiencing consciousness, I see as remaining a mystery

Perhaps it wont remain a mystery if there is a modification in the laws of physics as they apply to the brain. I think thats very unlikely. I am skeptical that its going to be a part of physics.

If you dont want to watch the wholevideo interview with Witten, the relevant part begins at 1:10:25.

Witten is saying that, we either already understand, or will someday understand, the processes behind thinking, learning, feeling, and doing. However, we will never understand the higher philosophy of consciousness. We may know that we are conscious, but not why.In essence, understanding thehow of consciousnesswill be achievable and knowable, while the whyswill remain out of our grasp.

While we would be inclined to trust the man who has been called the modern day Einstein, others point out that Witten could be wrong, though. John Horgan from Scientific American writes,

Just because Witten is a genius does not mean he is infallible. He is wrong, I believe, that string theory will eventually be validated, and he could be wrong that consciousness will never be explained.

We will just have to wait and see if our consciousness can tackle the philosophy of itself.

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Reaching Singularity: Physicist Asserts We Will Never Truly ...

Preterism is a view in Christian eschatology which holds that some or all of the biblical prophecies concerning the Last Days refer to events which took place in the first century after Christ's birth, especially associated with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, meaning past, since this view deems certain biblical prophecies as past, or already fulfilled.

Preterism is most dramatically contrasted with Futurism, the view that most prophecies regarding the End times, and passages referring to Last Days, Great Tribulation, and Judgment are still future and will immediately precede the return of Christ. Proponents of preterist views generally fall in one of two categories: Partial Preterism or Full Preterism.

Partial Preterism, the older of the two views, holds that prophecies such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the Day of the Lord as a "judgment-coming" of Christ were fulfilled circa 70 AD when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple, putting a permanent stop to the daily animal sacrifices. It identifies "Babylon the great" (Revelation 17-18) with the ancient pagan City of Rome or Jerusalem.

Most Partial Preterists also believe the term Last Days refers not to the last days of planet Earth or the last days of humankind, but rather to the last days of the Mosaic covenant which God had exclusively with national Israel until the year AD 70. As God came in judgment upon various nations in the Old Testament, Christ also came in judgment against those in Israel who rejected him. These last days, however, are to be distinguished from the "last day," which is considered still future and entails the Second Coming of Jesus, the Resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous dead physically from the grave in like-manner to Jesus' physical resurrection, the Final judgment, and the creation of a literal (rather than covenantal) New Heavens and a New Earth, free from the curse of sin and death which was brought about by the Fall of Adam and Eve.

Thus partial preterists are in agreement and conformity with the historic ecumenical creeds of the Church and articulate the doctrine of the resurrection held by the Early church fathers. Partial preterists hold that the New Testament predicts and depicts many "comings" of Christ. They contend that the phrase Second Coming means second of a like kind in a series, for the Scriptures record other "comings" even before the judgment-coming in 70 AD. This would eliminate the 70 AD event as the "second" of any series, let alone the second of a series in which the earthly, physical ministry of Christ is the first. Partial Preterists believe that the new creation comes in redemptive progression as Christ reigns from His heavenly throne, subjugating His enemies, and will eventually culminate in the destruction of physical death, the "last enemy" (1 Cor 15:20-24). If there are any enemies remaining, the resurrection event cannot have occurred.

Nearly all Partial Preterists hold to amillennialism or postmillennialism. Many postmillennial Partial Preterists are also theonomists in their outlook.

Partial Preterism is generally considered to be an historic orthodox interpretation as it affirms all items of the ecumenical Creeds of the Church. However, Partial Preterism is not the majority view among American protestant denominations and meets with significant vocal opposition, especially by those which espouse Dispensationalism. Additionally, concerns are expressed by Dispensationalists that Partial Preterism logically leads to an acceptance of Full Preterism, a concern which is denied by Partial Preterists.

Full Preterism differs from Partial Preterism in that it sees all prophecy fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem, including the resurrection of the dead and Jesus' Second Coming or Parousia. Full Preterism is also known by other names, such as Consistent Preterism or Hyper-Preterism (a somewhat derogatory term). A related but more recent term is Pantelism, which some regard as an extension of Full Preterism rather than the same thing.

Full Preterism holds that Jesus' Second Coming is to be viewed not as a future-to-us bodily return, but rather a "return" manifested by the physical destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple in AD 70 by foreign armies in a manner similar to various Old Testament descriptions of God coming to destroy other nations in righteous judgment. Full Preterism also holds that the Resurrection of the dead did not entail the raising of the physical body, but rather the resurrection of the soul from the "place of the dead," known as Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). As such, the righteous dead obtained a spiritual and substantial body for use in the heavenly realm, and the unrighteous dead were cast into the Lake of Fire. Some Full Preterists believe this judgment is ongoing and takes effect upon the death of each individual (Heb. 9:27). The New Heavens and the New Earth are also equated with the fulfillment of the Law in AD 70 and are to be viewed in the same manner by which a Christian is considered a "new creation" upon his or her conversion.

Although Full Preterism is viewed as heretical by many, this condemnation is not universal. Many of those who condemn Full Preterism do so not based solely upon the historic creeds of the church (which would exclude this view), but also from biblical passages that they interpret to condemn a past view of the Resurrection or the denial of a physical resurrection/transformation of the body, doctrines which many Christians (but not all) believe to be essential to the faith. Critics of full preterism point to the Apostle Paul's condemnation of the doctrine of Hymaneus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:17-18), which they regard as analogous to full preterism.

Adherents of Full Preterism, however, dispute this assertion by claiming that any biblical condemnation of a past resurrection was written during a time in which the Resurrection was yet future (i.e., pre-AD 70) as well as claiming different interpretations of other proffered biblical passages. Furthermore, Full Preterists reject the authority of the Creeds to condemn their view, stating that the Creeds were written by uninspired and fallible men and are simply in error on this point and need to be reformed. A growing movement, there has been a strong push by Full Preterists for acceptance as another valid Christian eschatological view; however, to date, no major conservative denomination or group has officially accepted this view as normative, though several have issued a condemnation.

The sayings in Matthew 24 concerning the "Great Tribulation" are seen in preterism as being fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem cuminating in AD 70. Support for this claim is drawn from Jesus' saying that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place," which has the appearance of limiting the events described to an event that was going to take place in the first century.

Potential difficulties arise when critics of preterism point out that Matthew 24 also refers to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. The claim is then made that since this refers to the return of Jesus in the air, and this never happened in the first century, the preterist approach must be mistaken. The preterist reply has been to point out that there is no reason to assume that this "coming" is the second coming of Christ hoped for in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God speaks of coming to His people in judgement. In Isaiah 19, as a striking example, the prophet refers to the impending judgement on Egypt, and we are told "See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and is coming to Egypt." The language of God coming to us, and even the language of riding the clouds, does not necessarily refer to the second coming of Christ that Christianity generally affirms.

Although Preterists are at general agreement among themselves regarding key eschatological issues, weighty objections have been brought against Preterism by advocates of Futurism. Dispensationalists argue that the Preterist view of Christ's Second Coming is flawed, as it ignores the fact that God's covenant with Israel was "everlasting," and therefore cannot have ended in A.D. 70. It is also asserted that Preterists confuse verses which speak of a "scattering" with those that predict a "restoration" of the covenant nation. (Deuteronomy 30: 1-10). Most Dispensationalists teach that Israel was dispersed in A.D. 70. However, textual support is brought in to show that a future regathering and national restoration of Israel is in order. Futurists have sometimes claimed that Preterism logically leads to Anti-Semitism and replacement theology.

Mathison, Keith A.

Jay E. Adams, Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? Stanley, NC: Timeless Texts, 2003.

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Preterism | Theopedia

Inspired by the drawings of Antonio SantElia, these visualisations were created to show hisvast imaginary monolithic structures placed in a London setting 100 years later. Below are a few lines from the Wikipedia article describing his life and career.

Antonio SantElia was born inComo,Lombardy. A builder by training, he opened adesignoffice inMilanin 1912 and became involved with theFuturistmovement. Between 1912 and 1914, influenced by industrial cities of theUnited Statesand the architectsRenzo Picasso,Otto WagnerandAdolf Loos, he began a series of design drawings for a futuristCitt Nuova(New City) that was conceived as a symbol of a new age.

Many of these drawings were displayed at the only exhibition of theNuove Tendenzegroup (of which he was a member) exhibition in May/June 1914 at the Famiglia Artistica gallery. Today, some of these drawings are on permanent display at Comos art gallery (Pinacoteca).

ThemanifestoFuturist Architecturewas published in August 1914, supposedly by SantElia, though this is subject to debate. In it the author stated that the decorative value of Futurist architecture depends solely on the use and original arrangement of raw or bare or violently colored materials.His vision was for a highly industrialised andmechanizedcity of the future, which he saw not as a mass of individual buildings but a vast, multi-level, interconnected and integrated urbanconurbationdesigned around the life of the city. His extremely influential designs featured vast monolithicskyscraperbuildings with terraces, bridges and aerial walkways that embodied the sheer excitement of modern architecture and technology. Even in this excitement for technology and modernity, in SantElias monumentalism, however, can be found elements ofArt NouveauarchitectGiuseppe Sommaruga.

Anationalistas well as anirredentist, SantElia joined the Italian army as Italy enteredWorld War Iin 1915. He was killed during theEighth Battle of the Isonzo, nearGorizia. Most of his designs were never built, but his futurist vision has influenced many architects, artists and designers.

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Futurism | ATKINSON+CO

The Manifesto of Futurism, Italian: Manifesto del Futurismo, written by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, initiated an artistic philosophy, Futurism, that was a rejection of the past, and a celebration of speed, machinery, violence, youth and industry; it also advocated the modernization and cultural rejuvenation of Italy.

Marinetti wrote the manifesto in the autumn of 1908 and it first appeared as a preface to a volume of his poems, published in Milan in January 1909.[1] It was published in the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dell'Emilia in Bologna on 5 February 1909,[citation needed] then in French as Manifeste du futurisme (Manifesto of Futurism) in the newspaper Le Figaro on 20 February 1909.[2][3]

The limits of Italian literature at the end of the "Ottocento" (19th century), its lack of strong contents, its quiet and passive laissez faire, are fought by futurists (see art. 1, 2, 3), and their reaction includes the use of excesses intended to prove the existence of a dynamic surviving Italian intellectual class.

In this period, in which industry is of growing importance in all Europe, futurists need to confirm that Italy is present, has an industry, has the power to take part in the new experience, and will find the superior essence of progress in its major symbols: the car and its speed (see art. 4). (Nationalism is never openly declared, but is evident).

Futurists insist that literature will not be overtaken by progress; rather, it will absorb progress in its evolution, and will demonstrate that such progress must manifest in this manner because Man will use this progress to sincerely let his instinctive nature explode. Man is reacting against the potentially overwhelming strength of progress, and shouts out his centrality. Man will use speed, not the opposite (see art. 5 and 6).

Poetry will help Man to consent his soul be part of all that (see art. 6 and 7), indicating a new concept of beauty that will refer to the human instinct of aggression.

The sense of history cannot be neglected: this is a special moment, many things are going to change into new forms and new contents, but Man will be able to pass through these variations, (see art. 8) bringing with himself what comes from the beginning of civilization.

In article 9, war is defined as a necessity for the health of human spirit, a purification that allows and benefits idealism. Their explicit glorification of war and its "hygienic" properties influenced the ideology of fascism. The Futurist Party, for example, became part of the Combatto Fascisti before the latter's assuming power. F. T. Marinetti was very active in Fascist politics until he withdrew in protest of the "Roman Grandeur" which had come to dominate Fascist aesthetics.

Article 10 states: "We want to demolish museums and libraries, fight morality, feminism and all opportunist and utilitarian cowardice."

This manifesto was published well before the occurrence of any of the 20th-century events which are commonly suggested as a potential meaning of this text. Many of them could not even be imagined yet. For example, the Russian Revolutions of 1917 were the first of the sort "described" by article 11, yet the first of those occurred eight years after the Manifesto's publication.

The effect of the manifesto is even more evident in the Italian version. Not one of the words used is casual; if not the precise form, at least the roots of these words recall those more frequently used during the Middle Ages, particularly during the Rinascimento.

The founding manifesto did not contain a positive artistic programme, which the Futurists attempted to create in their subsequent Technical Manifesto of Futurist Painting (1914).[4] This committed them to a "universal dynamism", which was to be directly represented in painting. Objects in reality were not separate from one another or from their surroundings: "The sixteen people around you in a rolling motor bus are in turn and at the same time one, ten four three; they are motionless and they change places... The motor bus rushes into the houses which it passes, and in their turn the houses throw themselves upon the motor bus and are blended with it."[5]

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Manifesto of Futurism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Take that Naysayers!

Back in the summer of 2014, your Facebook feed was overflowing with countless videos of friends, relatives, and even celebrities participating in theIce Bucket Challenge.These clips showed the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Bill Gates, Will Smith, along with, probably, your Great Aunt Betty dumping buckets full of ice water on their heads all in hopes to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrigs Disease.

ALS is a, currently, incurable neurological condition that causes the death of motor neurons. The condition could be either inherited or sporadic. According to the ALS Association, the disease progresses, eventually taking away the ability to walk, dress, write, speak, swallow, and breathe and shortening the life span. Fifteen new cases are diagnosed each day in the US, alone.

Despite all of the negative think-piecesthe trend generated, the videos had a direct hand in raising over $100m in just 30 days!

Finally, the world is seeing the fruits of their chilly labor. One of the beneficiaries of the generosity fueled by the challenge, Project MinE, reports a newly discovered gene present in both inherited and sporadic cases of ALS.

The Guardian reports Project MinE as a large data-driven initiative funded by the ALS Association through ice bucket challenge donations The project involved sequencing the genomes of 15,000 ALS sufferers. Their findings were published on Monday in the journal Nature Genetics.

One of the studys co-authors, John Landers, directly attributes dollars gained during the proliferation of the challenge. It is a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS. This kind of collaborative study is, more and more, where the field is headed, he proclaimed.

The discovery was a truly international effort. Some 80+ researchers from 11 countries collaborated on the discovery. The gene, NEK1, has only been associated with about 3% of all cases. However, finding the gene in both inherited and sporadic cases could lead to researchers having new avenues of treatment open to pursue.

Lucie Brujin, the chief scientist for the ALS Association, stated The discovery of NEK1 highlights the value of big data in ALS research. The sophisticated gene analysis that led to this finding was only possible because of the large number of ALS samples available.

This discovery is not the first development attributed to the stunt. The summer of 2015 also brought some new findings. Researchers from Johns Hopkins found a previously unknown accumulation of a specific protein to be an indicator of the disease.

More:
Ice Bucket Challenge Has Led to a Major ALS ... - futurism.com

Important Art and Artists of Futurism

The below artworks are the most important in Futurism - that both overview the major ideas of the movement, and highlight the greatest achievements by each artist in Futurism. Don't forget to visit the artist overview pages of the artists that interest you.

Artist: Umberto Boccioni

Artwork description & Analysis: The City Rises is often considered to be the first Futurist painting. Here, Boccioni illustrates the construction of a modern city. The chaos and movement in the piece resemble a war scene as indeed war was presented in the Futurist Manifesto as the only means toward cultural progress. The large horse races into the foreground while several workers struggle to gain control, indicating tension between human and animal. The horse and figures are blurred, communicating rapid movement while other elements, such as the buildings in the background, are rendered more realistically. At the same time, the perspective teeters dramatically in different sections of the painting. The work shows influences of Cubism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism, revealed in the brushstrokes and fractured representation of space.

Oil on canvas - Museum of Modern Art

Artist: Giacomo Balla

Artwork description & Analysis: Balla was fascinated by chrono-photography, a vintage technique whereby movement is demonstrated across several frames. This encouraged Balla to find new ways of representing movement in painting, and Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash is perhaps his most famous experiment. The work shows a woman walking a small black dog, the movement collapsed into a single instant. Displaying a close-up of the feet, Balla articulates action in process by combining opaque and semi-transparent shapes.

Oil on canvas - Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Artist: Natalia Goncharova

Artwork description & Analysis: Goncharova was a leading figure in the pre-war Russian avant-garde, a painter, illustrator, set and costume designer, and writer. Wife of another leading Russian artist, Mikhail Larionov, she was a prominent figure in the Donkey's Tail group, who were important in spreading the influence of Cubo-Futurism in Russia. She was initially inspired by Russian folk art, and she often incorporated traditional motifs into pictures styled in a Cubist manner. Here, the cyclist's legs and feet have been multiplied, indicating the speed of an object in motion. As noted in the Futurist Manifesto, "On account of the persistency of an image upon the retina, moving objects constantly multiply themselves; their form changes like rapid vibrations." The text in the painting points to Goncharova's interest in writing and graphic design.

Oil on canvas - The Russian Museum, St.Petersburg

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Artist: Umberto Boccioni

Artwork description & Analysis: Frustrated by the constraints of the canvas, Boccioni found it more effective to explain Futurist principles of movement in a three-dimensional form. Unique Forms of Continuity in Space captures the essence of a figure in motion, rendered in geometric forms that convey an effortless grace and speed. Draped clothing seems to blow in the wind as the robotic figure strides forward, creating an aerodynamic effect. As an homage to Auguste Rodin, Boccioni's sculpture is armless, referencing the "incomplete" Walking Man and the classical Greek statue, Nike of Samothrace.

Bronze - Museum of Modern Art, New York

Artist: Gino Severini

Artwork description & Analysis: Inspired by his voyage through coastal Anzio, Severini created this painting to draw a parallel between the sea and the human form. The figure is undistinguished from the water, becoming an inseparable component of the contiguous surroundings. Severini incorporates the Divisionist technique of stippled brushstrokes; flat planes and cylindrical shapes converge, shattering traditional approaches to representing three-dimensional space.

Oil on canvas with artist's painted frame - Guggenheim Museum, New York

Artist: Carlo Carr

Artwork description & Analysis: Here, inspired by Cubist experiments in the same vein, Carlo Carr introduces collage to the Futurist repertoire technique. This piece blends Filippo Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto with innovative poetry by Guillaume Apollinaire, resulting in a disorienting composition. Collage elements crack the surface into various planes, creating new perceptions of depth. The juxtaposition of phrases and vivid planes of color read as a kind of Futurist propaganda.

Tempera and collage on cardboard - Private Collection, Milan

Movement: Post-Impressionism

Artist: Georges Seurat

Artwork description & Analysis: Seurat's Sunday Afternoon is perhaps the most famous example of the painting technique known as Pointillism. Although the picture contains the impressionistic elements of light and shadow and depicts the leisure activities of the Parisian bourgeoisie, it is an early example of the artistic reaction to the Impressionist movement. Seurat composed the entire scene from a series of small, precise dots of color. If viewed closely, the painting becomes nothing more than a quasi-abstract array of colors, similar to a needlepoint. When viewed at an appropriate distance, however, Sunday Afternoon comes into focus. Seurat carefully placed each dot in relation to the ones around it in order to create the desired optical effect. He did so in order to bring structure and rationality to what he perceived were the triviality and disorganization rampant in Impressionism.

Oil on canvas - The Art Institute of Chicago

Movement: Cubism

Artist: Sonia Delaunay

Artwork description & Analysis: Robert and Sonia Delaunay exhibited with the Salon Cubists, and later founded the Orphism movement that was heavily influenced by Cubism. Like all Cubists, they used geometric forms and flattened perspective to show visual manipulation of their subject, but the Delaunays in particular had metaphysical interests in color and concept, often overlapping multiple scenes and views to suggest a fourth dimension. This multiplicity of scenes (or so-called theory of simultaneity) proposed that events and objects are "inextricably connected in time and space." Electric Prisms uses the sphere to represent this idea of overlap. In the work, different spheres convene into large concentric circles that are arranged to depict dynamic movement of electricity. Orphism was a short-lived movement but was a key phase in the transition from Cubism to non-representational art.

Oil on canvas - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Movement: Suprematism

Artist: Kazimir Malevich

Artwork description & Analysis: The three levels of Suprematism were described by Malevich as black, colored and white. Eight Red Rectangles is an example of the second, more dynamic phase, in which primary colors began to be used. The composition is somewhat ambiguous, since while on the one hand the rectangles can be read as floating in space, as if they were suspended on the wall, they can also be read as objects seen from above. Malevich appears to have read them in the latter way, since at one time he was fascinated by aerial photography. Indeed he later criticized this more dynamic phase of his Suprematist movement as 'aerial Suprematism,' since its compositions tended to echo pictures of the earth taken from the skies, and in this sense departed from his ambitions for a totally abstract, non-objective art. The uneven spacing and slight tilt of the juxtaposed shapes in Eight Red Rectangles, as well as the subtly different tones of red, infuse the composition with energy, allowing Malevich to experiment with his concept of "infinite" space.

Oil on canvas - Museum of Modern Art, New York

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Futurism Most Important Art and Artists | The Art Story

In Brief

The prospect of artificial gravity on space stations is actually possible, but highly expensive and resource-demanding

Working to make astronauts lives easier and less health damaging is a pretty big goal for NASA. The real problem is actually limiting the effects of zero gravity on the human body. Science Fiction has posited the solution of artificial gravity. However,as this video shows, that is no easy feat.

Artificial gravity couldcertainly be a possibilitywith current technology.Sadly, we are limited by the expense and availability of materials.Through the use of centrifugal force, a spinning space station would be able to generate artificial gravity. However, it would have to be spinning at a very fast rate. Alternatively, itd have tobe big enough to not need speed. The trade-off is between being too big to build or spinning too rapidlyto be practical.

Building something as huge as science fiction models would certainly cost. Building the eponymous space stationsfrom the 2013 filmElysiumwould require500,000 people contributing $10 million each. Even more, aluminum would have to be mined from asteroids as Earths supply would not beenough.

Original post:
The Possible Reality of Artificial Gravity - futurism.com

The Catholic Counter Reformation - The Council of Trent and the Jesuit Order In 1545, the Catholic Church convened one of its most famous councils in history. It took place north of Rome in a city called Trent. The Council of Trent continued for three sessions ending in 1563. One of its main purposes was to plan a counterattack against Martin Luther and the Protestants. Thus, the Council of Trent became a center for Romes Counter Reformation.

Up to this point, Romes main method of attack had been largely frontal: openly burning Bibles and heretics. Yet this warfare only confirmed in the minds of Protestants the conviction that papal Rome was indeed the Beast power that would make war with the saints (Revelation 13:7). Therefore a new tactic was needed, something less obvious. The sought after solution was found in the Jesuit Order.

Eleven years earlier, on August 15, 1534, Ignatius Loyola founded a secret Catholic order called the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.

At the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church gave the Jesuits the specific assignment of bringing Protestantism back to the Mother Church. This was to be done not only through the Inquisition and through torture, but also through theology and deception.

The Jesuits have had a dark history of intrigue and sedition. That is why they were expelled from Portugal (1759), France (1764), Spain (1767), Naples (1767), and Russia (1820).

Jesuit priests have been known throughout history as the most wicked political arm of the Roman Catholic Church.i

Read about the rise and spread of futurism, a Catholic theology that has pulled believers away from Biblical truth

By Jim Holdeman. Jim writes from Oklahoma. If you enjoyed this article, share it with a friend. To learn more, check out our media siteAmazing Discoveries TVor visit our webstore.

i Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative (Abundant Life Ministries Reformed Press, 1991): 31.

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The Jesuit Order and the Council of Trent - Walter Veith

CALL FOR PAPERS: Columbia Seminar in Modern Italian Studies Due: April 25

For those interested in presenting a paper at the Columbia Seminar in Modern Italian Studies, please submit an abstract of what you propose by April 25, 2016. The abstract should be no more than 300 words. In your email please also include a copy of your CV, and two suggestions for a respondent to your paper with their email information. Respondents should be within reasonable commuting distance to New York City.

Please note the following: seminar presenters are expected to have a completed PhD and be able to present their work and engage in dialogue in English; also, travel funding is limited and determined on a case by case basis; finally, attendees to the seminar come from a variety of fields within Italian Studies, so please calibrate your proposal for an audience beyond your particular area of specialization.

All materials should be emailed to modernitalianseminar@gmail.com.

For your information, the mission statement of the seminar is as follows:

This seminar is concerned with political, social, cultural, and religious aspects of Italian life from 1815 to the present. In recent years, the seminar has stressed an interdisciplinary approach to Italian studies, increasing the participation of anthropologists and scholars of art, film, and literature. The seminar generally meets on the second Friday of the month during the academic year to discuss a paper presented by a member or an invited speaker. Papers cover a wide range of topics, approaches, and methodologies.

Mar 28th 4:39pm No Comments

Belated congrats to Dan Hurlin and the Red Wing Performing group on their Jim Henson Foundation Grant for "Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed"

"Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed" is a collection of four plays, written specifically for the puppet stage by Italian Futurist painter Fortunato Depero in 1917. Penned by hand in Depero's notebooks, they have been translated into English for the first time and will receive their world premiere approximately 100 years after they were written, revealing startling similarities between our world and the culture of WWI. As the Futurists embraced the technology of their day (automobiles, airplanes, telephones, etc.) so this production will embrace the technology of ours with live feed, filmed and computer animated sequences, and 3-D printed puppets.

Timeline Photos

Feb 4th 6:46pm No Comments

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Italian Futurism Events, Exhibitions, Scholarship