New metallic identities: The structure and function of the machine in early twentieth-century art

During the first few decades of the twentieth century the appearance of the machine in European and North American works of art is well documented. The rise of a machine aesthetic existed alongside the exploration of new forms of pictorial language--both marked by a boisterous optimism. In much of the literature dealing with this subject, the assumption is made that the machine was an uncomplicated and celebratory aspect of "modern" art. This document seeks to question that assumption, illustrating that the presence of the machine in such movements as Futurism, Vorticism, and Dada, while often alluding to the utopian, also indicated a deeper ambivalence with respect to technology and its role in human creativity. Taking apart and examining some of the cogent themes associated with the machine and the visual repertoire of these movements, this thesis highlights the role of technology in the formation of artistic identity, both collective and individual. One of the most pertinent conclusions that can be drawn from this study is that the predominant role of the machine in early twentieth-century art was inextricably linked to human self-definition: mind, body, and soul.