Simultaneous Sports and Other Physico-Follies in Futurist Life and Art.

The article offers an overview of Futurism, the revolutionary aesthetic movement that began in 1909 and brought a new vitality to the Italian art scene. One of the least familiar aspects of the movement was the focus that its founder Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and his followers espoused for promoting sport and physical education – both in schools and in workers' free time. The artistic efforts of the Futurists were quite innovative as they invented new forms of literature, poetry, theatre, music, dance, sculpture, painting, and architecture, as well as supporting the 'minor arts'. Many of their works employ the simultaneity of art and the celebration of such modern concepts as speed, dynamism, and flight. All these are combined with an amazing burst of creativity and surreal 'physico-follies' to create a new futurist vision of humanity. However, for the country as a whole Futurism was considered too elitist and it never really gathered much popular support. Surprisingly, some of its concepts were skilfully absorbed by the fascist movement lead by Benito Mussolini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]