by Giacomo Balla, Exhibition catalogue ‘Fu Balla - Balla Futurista’, Sala d’Arte Angeletelli, Rome, December 1915

With the perfecting of photography, static traditionalist painting has completely fallen from repute; photography kills static contemplation. Watching a cinematographic performance we find ourselves in front of a painting in movement that consecutively transforms itself to reproduce a given action.

Static traditionalist painting was vanquished because it was obliged to transfix one single point among the infinite variety of aspects of nature. Mechanics have overtaken the traditionalist painter and forced him into becoming a pitiable imitator of static and exterior forms. It is imperative therefore not to half and contemplate the corpse of tradition, but to renew ourselves by creating an art that no machine can imitate, that only the artistic Creative Genius can conceive. Futurism, pre-destined force of progress and not of fashion, creates the style of flowing abstract forms that are synthetic and inspired by the dynamic forces of the universe.
GIACOMO BALLA OF TURIN
Temperament: daring, intuitive.

Art - 1st Period: Objective personal realist - rebel against the academic schools - Analysis of our life - solution in Divisionist researches (light, environment, psyche, objects, people) - Struggles toils enjoyments - achievement of glorious career with recognition from public, artists, critics.

2nd Period: FUTURISM. Evolution: Total repudiation of own work-career. Public, artists, critics dismayed - incomprehensibility - accusations - madness - bad faith - derision - pity - Received with smiling indifference - First plastic researches in movement (speeding automobiles people in movement) - public curiosity - laughs, insults, derision, incredulity - violent arguments (Italians, poverty and grandeur, brimful fo a great indigestion - Germanophilia!!!)

Continuation researches. Analysis reality abandoned definitively. Creation new Futurist style: synthetic abstract subjective dynamic forms.

Still research more struggle.

ON WITH FUTURISM…