Giacomo Balla

Casa Balla, Rome
Saturnino Belmonte, Rome (acquired from the above circa 1960)
Bosi Collection, Rome
Tornabuoni Arte, Florence
Acquired from the above circa 2010

Board is stable. There are remnants of tape around the extreme edges on the reverse. Few areas of exposed board appear slightly time darkened. Under UV light: no inpainting is apparent. This work is in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In 1919 Balla summered in Viareggio, Tuscany, where he became fascinated by the movement of sailing ships and the sea and produced a number of works investigating these themes. A chief proponent of Futurism, Balla studied movement as a physical and optical phenomenon, never distancing himself from a direct observation of nature. Balla observed that the sea “breathes,” and as a result he has rendered a tangible sense of regular undulation in the present work. Light, broken down into a selection of its physical elements, is further translated into rythmic graphic symbols. Balla was continually fascinated by what he coined as the “lines of speed” and “lines of force,” elements he employed to create the effect of movement of sails and waves as evident in Marina. Such ideas about translating speed into visual terms were in part inspired by contemporary scientific theories, such as photodynamism, as pioneered by the Bragaglia brothers, whose work Balla first saw in December 1912. The elegant and lyrical composition of this work, with its harmonic hues of yellow and grey, is reminiscent of the flowing lines of the then-popular Art Nouveau style. Balla artfully combines incessant research into a scientific approach to his method, all the while placing equal emphasis on the extraordinary decorative quality of his artistic intent.