Umberto Boccioni 1882-1916

By Delaney Brown

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913, cast 1972, Bronze, (1175 × 876 × 368 mm), Tate

Umberto Boccioni was a celebrated archetype of the futurist movement, was an instrumental figure in the intersecting realms of painting, sculpture, and philosophical thought. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the convergence of divisionism and impressionism to create Italian Futurism, an artistic crusade that emphasises dynamism, speed, technology, youth, and violence. It starkly contrasts the notions of the impressionist philosophy of the ‘sublime,’ the idea that nature is an agent for divine intervention. Instead, futurism depicts the technological triumph of humanity over nature and hopes to liberate humanity through modernisation. 

Boccioni was born on 19 October 1882; in his early life, he was constantly relocated throughout Italy due to his Father’s job as a government employee. He eventually took up permanent residence in Forli, a commune in Northern Italy. At the age of 16, he moved to Rome where he would take up study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, a public tertiary academy of art. There he would study under Giovanni Mataloni and found companionship in Gino Severini, a fellow leader of the futurist movement. The two young painters bonded on their shared interest for nihilism, cultural critiques, rebellion, and socialism. These turbulent personal beliefs would aid both in their development of the futurist movement. 

In 1906 Boccioni transitioned from studying classicist painting styles to refining his abilities in impressionist and post impressionist techniques. For the next two years, he would travel throughout Europe as a commercial illustrator to gain varying perspectives on artistic trends within different cultural contexts. He viewed the civil unrest as a consequence of governmental suppression and the rising cultural strains preceding World War I.

In 1910, Boccioni moved to Milan and began his association with founder of the futurist movement and author of the Manifesto of Futurism, Fillippo Tommaso Marinetti. To further establish his subscription to futurist philosophy, he signed the Manifesto of Futurist painters later that year and cemented his position as a lead theorist in the artistic movement. He and his colleagues travel to Paris in 1911 where they visited and collaborated with complementary artists to give futurism real shape and movement. 

Boccioni’s works in the beginning of his career were characterised by their pointillism and impressionist influence; his work was mainly dedicated to portraiture and landscapes. His artistic output experienced a considerable shift in 1910 with his painting, The City Rises, his first painting recognisably influenced by futurist techniques. This work portrays the development of an urban landscape as a result of industrialisation, a theme which affirms the triumph of humanity over nature; this would be a cohesive theme in many of his future works. Despite this painting's revolutionary nature, it does not depict Boccioni’s full descent into futurism as he still utilises divisionist techniques. In 1911, Boccioni created The Laugh, a work that is considered his first truly futurist painting. He departs fully with divisionist technique and instead creates a synthesis of the sensations of observing modern life. This revolutionary painting suffered widespread criticism and was defaced in its exhibition. 

After observing futurist sculpture in Paris in the early 1910s, Boccioni launched his intellectual and artistic pursuit into sculpture with the publication of the  Technical manifesto of Futurist Sculpture. In 1913, he created his most exemplary work, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space; he portrays the human figure in motion, creating an expression of movement and fluidity. At this time, he viewed sculpture as a ‘mummified art’ in its physical portrayal of movement and creating visual indications of future and past motions. The figure has no discernible arms or face, paying homage to classicist sculpture of the past. 

During the years 1912-14, he continued to abstractly represent his observations of modern life through dynamist practices, focusing on the convergence of movement, light, and colour. His artistic evolution was tragically interrupted after being drafted into the Italian army at the beginnings of World War I. He passed away on August 16, 1916 at the age of 33. Despite his short lived authority within the Futurist movement, Umberto Boccioni became an integral figurehead of this new frontier of artistic expression. 

HASTA