Inspired by the tempo and hustle and bustle of the big city, Schifano discovers a new theme for himself during his stay in New York in 1963–64: people in motion. In When I remember Giacomo Balla, New York City 1964 (1964), he places figures in walking positions—their black outlines repeated and partially superimposed—on a canvas covered with packing paper. The result evokes the image of anonymous crowds passing by.
Here, Schifano combines his observations of reality with a reference to Futurism, an important Italian movement in early twentieth-century art and literature. Giacomo Balla, who is mentioned in the title, was one of the movement’s leading figures and used similar visual means to depict the dynamism of modernity in his work. Schifano takes up this legacy, not in a nostalgic way, but with the aim of developing his own contemporary visual language.
During his time in New York, he is invited to participate in the legendary 1964 Venice Biennale, where American Pop Art makes its debut. Alongside two other New York artists, he exhibits his futuristic work in the Italian pavilion.
A tribute to the Futurists can also be found in Futurismo rivisitato (1966), which belongs to one of Schifano’s more extensive series. The work is based on a well-known group photograph of several leading Futurists in Paris in 1912. For his “reinterpretation,” Schifano transfers the photograph of the five men into a large-format painting using stencils and black spray paint. He boldly places the title above it in red letters. The result could also be the cover of an LP by a contemporary rock band.
It is noteworthy that the artist no longer draws on the works of the Futurists themselves, but on a media image, a photograph. This reflects a change in attitude, which is also evident in the technique and choice of materials. Instead of using traditional oil or acrylic paints, Schifano uses spray paint and covers the picture with an acrylic glass hood that filters the view of the canvas like a camera lens. Like the Futurists, Schifano is searching for a visual language that keeps pace with its time.
