by Jon Parker

Created on: December 15, 2006   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Abstract Speed: The Car Has Passed', by Giacomo Balla.

Giacomo Balla was a leading figure in the Italian Futurist group. He believed that the power and speed of machines such as cars were the defining characteristics of his time and aimed to express this idea in his work. This painting was originally the right-hand part of a triptych. A triptych is a piece of art consisting of a painting or carving (especially an altarpiece - a painted or carved screen placed above and behind an altar or communion table) on three panels (usually hinged together).

The left-hand part of the triptych was called 'Line of Force + Landscape' and the central one 'Lines of Force + Noise'. The theme of the triptych was the passage of a car along a white road, with green and blue forms, evoking earth and sky, in the background. The pinkish areas in this painting suggest the exhaust fumes left by the passing car.
Balla was an Italian futurist painter, whose primary objective was to depict movement, which represented the dynamic forward thrust of the early twentieth century. Futurism was a celebration of nature and machinery in harmony at the dawn of a great age in technological development. In this painting, the racing car in motion is celebrated. Futurism was ended by the First World War, after which Futurist notions became increasingly associated with Fascism.
I have completed a study of this image in acrylic paints. I found it very difficult to get the exact forms and structures of the lines and shapes. The angle of the curves was particularly tricky. This was also a difficult study to paint because there is very little blending of colour. The paint has been applied in layers, allowing each to dry before applying the next one. I had to use the same technique for my painting, which I found frustrating. I was not able to convey a sense of speed and movement, despite using acrylic paints, because I had to keep leaving my work to dry. My enthusiasm began to wain as a result of this. Another contributing factor to this sense of frustration was that I was intent on painting as accurate a study as possible. The exact curvature of the hills and pink wispy lines were especially tricky, and the blending from blue to white in the lower half of the image even more so.
However, despite all this, I am very pleased with the result, which makes the process worth the trouble I went to. I believe that I have created an accurate portrayal of Balla's image, and that I have captured the sense of movement and

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