Giacomo Balla’s painting Abstract Speed – The Car Has Passed

Giacomo Balla’s painting Abstract Speed – The Car Has Passed was originally the right hand side of a triptych work done in 1913. The center was a piece called Line of Force + Noise, and the left hand side was Line of force + Landscape. He uses an analogous color scheme of green and blue to represent the earth and the sky. The pink is supposed to represent exhaust fumes from the passing vehicle. Supposedly, the car is passing at a speed of thirty five miles per hour, which at the time was an incredible fast pace. The work uses a geometric perspective, evident by the road fading into the distance. However, Balla also seems to use an ambiguous perspective because of how the viewer can sense movement in the painting. Actual lines are placed abstractly giving the picture definition, shape, and also adding to the movement of the work. The Car Has Passed is a two dimensional work done with oil paints on a canvas ground and has a symmetrical balance. This piece is on display at the Tate Gallery in London.
Giacomo Balla was born on July 18, 1871, in Turin, Italy, son of a chemist and an amateur photographer. He is considered a futurist painter, sculptor, and designer. In 1891, he studied for two months at the Academia Albertina di Bella Arte and the Liceo Artistico in Turin. He also studied at the University of Turin until 1892 After 1895, Balla spent most of his life in Rome working as an illustrator, caricaturist, and portrait painter.
Most of his earlier pieces were portraits, landscapes, and caricatures that were influenced by Italian Divisionists. On a trip to Paris in 1900 to visit the Exposition Universelle, Balla became very interested in aspects of modern industrial life. He stayed in Paris for seven months being an assistant to illustrator Serafino Macchiati. Balla was introduced to futurism at this time. Futurism was an expansion of cubism concepts that explored metamorphosis and simultaneity of vision. He