Umberto Boccioni

Three women

Umberto Boccioni

Born in Reggio Calabria in 1882, Umberto Boccioni’s first passion was for writing, before he took an interest in painting thanks to his friendship with Gino Severini, Giacomo Balla and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the small group of artists and friends who were to give rise to Italian Futurism: a literary, cultural, artistic movement that came to the fore following the publication, in 1909, of the Manifesto of Futurism in the French newspaper Le Figaro.

Umberto Boccioni

Born in Reggio Calabria in 1882, Umberto Boccioni’s first passion was for writing, before he took an interest in painting thanks to his friendship with Gino Severini, Giacomo Balla and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the small group of artists and friends who were to give rise to Italian Futurism: a literary, cultural, artistic movement that came to the fore following the publication, in 1909, of the Manifesto of Futurism in the French newspaper Le Figaro.

The key characteristics of Futurism, which centred on the ideas of speed, movement, action and transformation, were to accompany Boccioni in his development. He was in favour of Italy’s military intervention in the First World War, in which he was involved as a volunteer. He died in 1916, in Verona’s military hospital, at the age of just 33, after falling from his horse.

180 x 132 cm

Date: 1909 - 1910
Medium: oil on canvas

Introduction

The artist portrays three women in different stages of life, being his mother Cecilia, his beloved sister Amelia, and the model Ines. Boccioni uses bright lighting to transform the three static figures into a dynamic vortex that creates the emotional bonds between the three women. This aspect, in Boccioni’s view, makes it one of the most representative works of his entire artistic career.

The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Milano.

The artist portrays three women in different stages of life, being his mother Cecilia, his beloved sister Amelia, and the model Ines. Boccioni uses bright lighting to transform the three static figures into a dynamic vortex that creates the emotional bonds between the three women. This aspect, in Boccioni’s view, makes it one of the most representative works of his entire artistic career.

The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Milano.

Cecilia Forlanini, his mother, slightly to the fore of a well-balanced composition, was an important figure in the artist’s life. Seated in a relaxed position, wearing a serene expression on her face showing signs of ageing and sporting a soft, grey-haired bun, she is part of a sort of imaginary triangle, with subtle coloured lines shaping the long, ample dress dominated by hues of green.

His sister Amelia also bears a smiling expression. The sun’s rays, that leave the mother in the shadows, strike the soft tawny hair of the artist’s sister, who is clutching a book in her left hand and is wearing an ample dress, coloured white, green, sky blue, navy blue and pink, and is painted using a series of decisive brushstrokes and vertical lines. Using bands of colour and light, Boccioni creates a link between the two women, as if each were transformed and merged into the other.

Ines , Boccioni’s beloved muse, is portrayed in a nervous position, set back slightly, wearing a melancholic expression. Once again, white lines unite her with Cecilia, merging the two bodies together. The light shining from the left makes the model’s body and clothing stand out, through a series of thinner, softer, lighter brushstrokes and warmer hues to those used to depict Amelia.

The draperies of the three women’s dresses create infinite colourful lines, horizontal and vertical interweavings that transform the volumes of their bodies into pure energy produced by the light.

Despite his restlessness existence, and a lifestyle aimed at breaking with the past, Boccioni nevertheless preserved his relationship with his mother. By means of the numerous portraits he was to question himself and convey past and future, the strength and sweetness of his family ties, in his painting; ties which, as recounted brilliantly in this work, helped him stand strong in his constant pursuit of innovation.