Once again I am obliged to the Art Contrarian, Donald Pettinger, this time for reminding me of 'Futurism', a style of art much in vogue during the 1920s and '30s, particularly with Italian artists many of whom were deeply in thrall to Mussolini and the new fascist movement. We should not allow that to put us off because it is a style of painting which has produced some excellent art. The one above, entitled "Before the Parachute Opens" (1939) is the work of Tullio Cralli (1910-2000), an artist who persevered with the Futurist style long after others gave it up. Pettinger recommends his work and I (for what it's worth!) endorse his opinion. That is a terrific picture in its own right and having experienced that exact moment 'before the parachute opens' I can confirm that it captures the thrill and the excitemnt exactly.
Here is another, earlier, example of his work, Forces of a Curve (1930), this time featuring a racing car and having once enjoyed watching the Italian Grand Prix from the pit wall at Monza, I can again confirm that this painting captures the very essence of the speed and elegance of the cars.
Pettinger features several other examples of Cralli's work and I promise you it's worth your while to pop over and take a look.
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