Boccioni, Umberto (1882-1916)
Tre donne (Three Women)
1909–1910
Oil on canvas, 180 × 132 cm
Banca Commerciale Italiana, Milano
The artist represents the three ages of women through the figures of her mother Cecilia, her beloved sister Amelia and the model Ines. Through light, Boccioni transforms the three static figures into a dynamic vortex that gives life to the emotional bonds between the three women. This aspect makes it, according to Boccioni himself, one of the most representative works of his artistic career. (BCI)
His mother Cecilia Forlani, in the light foreground within a composition with great balance, was an important figure in the artist’s life. Sitting in a relaxed position, her serene face marked by time, her soft silvery bun, she is inserted in a sort of imaginary triangle, with thin colored lines that outline her long and loose dress with a predominance of greens. (BCI)
Sister Amelia’s face is also smiling. The rays of the sun, which leave the mother in the shadow, hit the softly styled tawny hair, the book clutched in her left hand, the colors of the loose dress: white, green, light blue, blue and pink, hatched with strong brushstrokes and vertical lines. Through beams of light and color, Boccioni creates a bond between the two women, like a body that transforms and merges into the other. (BCI)
Ines, Boccioni‘s beloved muse, is in a nervous pose, slightly backwards, with a melancholic expression. White lines also start from her and join Cecilia, making the fusion of the two bodies manifest. The light from the left highlights the model’s body and clothing, with thinner, softer, lighter brushstrokes and warmer shades than Amelia’s colours. (BCI)
The drapery of the three women’s dresses create infinite and colorful lines, horizontal and vertical weaves that transform the volume of the bodies into pure energy produced by light. (BCI)