The Decadent Gardener

& the Age of Futurism

Emma Foster

The Futurist Garden

In Medlar Lucan & Durian Grays The Decadent Gardener (1996) one of the decadent writings featured is that of Felice Azari and his ideal Futurist garden. Felice Azari is an artist from the art movement of Futurism. Azaris manifesto explores his beliefs towards gardens in relation to Futurism especially considering how he thinks gardens could be improved and more up to date.

Futurist Flora and Plastic Equivalents of Artificial Scents

Felice Azari
From reading Azaris manifesto I have bullet pointed out his feelings in wording that I will find easier to remember for my project. Natural flowers do not match our tastes. Flowers are boring and unchanged. Flowers as decorations are commonplace and predictable. Futurist beliefs are offended by the way flowers look. Overuse of flowers in film ect. Leads to lacking of power to make interest. Attraction of flowers opposes modern taste through delicacy of hue and subtlety of form/colour. Flowers do not meet our visual senses. These senses have shrunk through conquest of speed. Flowers are now tiny dots of colour like past objects which have become decadent. Scents of flowers do not have the same effect on us they used to. We need more violent sensations. Better perfumes are now synthetic ones. Flowers in the media are nauseating because of overuse. We need new forms because of changing styles.

Futurist Flora and Plastic Equivalents of Artificial Scents

Felice Azari Creation of Futurist Sculpture-Flora Flowers by nature are no longer interesting. Futurists and sculptural flora enrich our environments- they are highly original, artificial, coloured and perfumed. These qualities are forever able to change because of endless possibilities. Depero is one futurist who takes on original flowers and uses the realistic construction of flowers which do not exist. Violent colouring, powerful smells, dynamic forms, synthetic colours and unprecedented combinations make up a futurist garden.

Felice Azari Plastic Equivalents of Artificial Odours. Natural perfume has a plastic equivalent. All flower types and scents match each other through visual and olfactory sensations. There is a link between form, colour and perfume. Coloured sculptural interpretations of the most synthetic perfumes today. (Origano, Chypre, Contessa, Azzurra ect) Al perfumes for Rome, Milan, Paris ect.. Has an equivalent floral sculpture. Chromato-plastic versions of today smells (petrol, carbolic acid, chloroform) Variety of materials (silk, velvet, multi-coloured cloths with metallic threads, cardboard, painted wood, celluloid, tin foil ect..) Symphonic- colouristic concerts and Marinettis tactile tables readings.

Futurist Flora and Plastic Equivalents of Artificial Scents

Joris- Karl Huysmans

At the beginning of the Futurist Garden chapter in The Decadent Gardener Huysmans is mentioned as having similar beliefs so a quick research into him has been done. Huysmans is mostly known for his work A rebours (meaning Against Nature) His book covers ideas of going against societial beliefs and behaving in your own idealistic artistic worldly manner. He also covers themes associated with the symbolist movement & decadent literature. He believed that media was covering the same old themes rather than real characters therefore being limited and not true to life.

Futurism- The Art Movement

Futurism was an artistic & social movement which began in Italy during the early 20th Century. Themes and contemporary concepts of the future, speed, technology, youth, violence, the industrial city and vehicles especially the car and aeroplane were emphasized. Futurists worked across a wide breadth of mediums including painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, industrial designs, film, fashion and textiles, music and architecture. Key figures of the movement include Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carra, Gino Severini, Giacomo Balla and Bruno Munari.

Futurism- The Art Movement

Futurism influenced art movements such as Art Deco, constructivism and surrealism. The founder of Futurism was Italian writer Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. He expressed a passionate loathing of all things old including artistic tradition. We want no part of it, the past. Futurists wanted a technological triumph of humanity over nature and were gloried in science. The style of Futurists began with techniques of Divisionism before moving onto Cubism. Modern urban scenes & vehicles in motion were typical of Futurist painting. Futurism admired violence and was intensely patriotic. They believed that conflict was there for the possibility of new creation through art, politics and society.

Futurism- The Art Movement

In Futurist architecture they wanted to see the bare bones and structure behind things as part of aesthetic qualities. Essential lines of form unprecedented from their simplicity. There were three sections to Futurism: Plastic Dynamism (1910s) Mechanical Art (1920s) Aeroesthetics (1930s)