Between being present and writing: reverberations of Marinetti's travel in 1926 to Latin America

Abstract

The text reflects on the travels of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti to South America on two occasions, in 1926 and in 1936. The focus is on the contributions of the creator of the Italian futurism, for a wide range of artistic, literary and architectural works on the continent. Albeit briefly, the controversy about the receipt of the movement and its dialog with the Latin American avant-garde art is also tackled. Modernism, the controversial Brazilian reception and the perspective regarding Argentina and Uruguay were discussed by commentators and researchers who reflect on the diversity of views on these travels and the artistic, intellectual and ideological reception of the movement. The historical dimension is used as a base for creating a hypothesis, since when these travels happened in South America, the movement had already sizzled around the half of the First World War. As the mechanized slaughter devastated Europe, it became more difficult to maintain the cult of the machine. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the second generation of futurists tried to extend their ideology and practice to futuristic installations, theater set design, graphic arts and advertising, to some success.