Giacomo Balla

Giacomo Balla, (1871, Turin - 1958, Rome), Italian artist and founding member of the Futurist movement.  A self-taught artist, he studied at the Accademia Albertina in Turin and moved to Rome in 1895. In 1900 he lived for a few months in Paris, where he visited the Exposition Universelle. He was impressed by life in the great metropolis and studied the Neo-Impressionist paintings of Georges Seurat, Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross. On returning to Rome, he spread the Divisionist technique among young artists such as Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini and Mario Sironi.  Unlike most Futurists, Balla was a lyrical artist, unconcerned with modern machines or violence. Balla conveys a sense of speed and urgency that puts his artworks in line with Futurism's fascination with the energy of modern life.