States of mind II

The image "States of Mind II" shows people sleeping in a train. The left side of the painting shows many faces whereas the right side shows fewer faces. This reveals that the left side is the lower 2nd class seating, but the right side shows the upper, 1st class. Outside of the train, rain falls, and the rising sun reflects off of the window. The rain is washing away the old traditions, and the sun is taking the people into a new day. This painting represents the train of society taking people away from the old systems, such as class, and bringing them into a new and glorious future. This shows many characteristics of the futurist movement.

The futurist movement began in 1909 with Marinetti's "The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism".
It contained artist and writers, and they glorified speed, danger, violence, new ideas, and the destruction of institutions such as churches and government. They thought of war as the "ultimate hygiene"  of society. Marinetti supported Mussolini, and this contributed to the downfall of the movement. Boccioni participated in the futurist movement and painted images with fast vehicles, power, and movement from one place to another. The futurist painters made their own manifesto, in which they vowed to...

1. Destroy the cult of the past, the obsession with the ancients, pedantry and academic formalism
2. Totally invalidate all kinds of imitation
3.Elevate all attempts at originality, however daring, however violent
4. Bear bravely and proudly the smear of "madness" with which they try to gag all innovators
5. Regard art critics as useless and dangerous
6. Rebel against the tyranny of words: "Harmony" and "good taste" and other loose expressions
7. Sweep the whole field of art clean of all themes and subjects which have been used in the past
8.Support and glory in our day-to-day world, a world which is going to be continually and splendidly transformed by victorious Science.

The link below celebrates the futurist movement's 104th birthday and talks about how it is relevant today.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-20/happy-birthday-futurists-a-movement-turns-104