The tension between material and immaterial and the intimate dynamism of concrete substances are at the basis of Materia (1912-1913) and the drawings directly connected to the painting. Materia is one of the most significant artworks recounting Umberto Boccioni’s poetics (Reggio Calabria, 1882 – Verona, 1916). The figure of the artist’s mother standing on her home’s balcony is deconstructed into dynamic parts, fusing with the surrounding environment. The dynamism evoked by the luminous rays dematerializes the volumes, making them appear as shifting components, similar to an energetic flow of elements disappearing and manifesting simultaneously.
Umberto Boccioni