Venice has always been a dramatic setting for artistic expression, for the Futurists however it represented the decadent stagnation they so despised. This week we look at the Futurist manifesto “Against Passeist Venice”–sometimes translated as “Against Traditionalist Venice”– a screed against all those who love Venice for its past, its old palaces, and slow, easy going canals. But for all their declared hatred of Venice, the Futurists would keep going back year after year to host heated evenings (seratas) in the La Fenice theatre. In the end the city served as stunning a backdrop for their politicking and artistic expression as it has for centuries of artists and lovers.
The text can be found in Futurism an Anthology.
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