The Laugh 1911

Umberto Boccioni made this painting, entitled 'The Laugh', in Italy sometime before 1911, we’re not exactly sure when. It epitomizes the artistic and political movement known as Futurism. Futurism was both avant-garde and deeply reactionary. Italian Futurists sought to sweep away what they saw as the dusty, outdated institutions of bourgeois culture, like museums and libraries, but they also embraced war and militarism as a way of cleansing society. In 'The Laugh,' Boccioni uses broken planes and vibrant colors to convey the energy and dynamism of modern life, depicting a cafe scene, perhaps. But we should also understand this painting in terms of the Futurists' complex relationship to Italian society. Were they critiquing the decadence of the upper classes, or celebrating their vitality? By consulting manifestos, newspapers, and other period documents, art historians like myself can help to untangle these contradictions and shed new light on the social and political context of this work.