Dynamic of a cyclist

Dynamism of a cyclist ( Italian Dinamismo di un Ciclista)
Umberto Boccioni , 1913
Oil on canvas
70 × 95 cm
On permanent loan from the Gianni Mattioli Collection in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection , Venice

Dynamism of a Cyclist ( Italian Dinamismo di un Ciclista ) is a 1913 painting by the Italian futurist artist Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916), which represents the preoccupation of futurism with speed and modern means of transport as well as the dynamic sense of movement.

background

Especially in Italy, futurism was an art movement of the early 20th century that wanted to free art from the burden of classicism. The futurists were concerned with the technology and dynamics of modern life. The movement found its expression primarily in literature and the fine arts.

Subject and composition

Although the bicycle was invented as early as the 19th century, it was barely used until the 1890s. As recently as 1913, the high speed that could be achieved by bicycle symbolized a modern mode of transportation for the futurists, which they idealized.

Boccioni's sketches for the painting (two of which are reproduced below) show a leaning forward cyclist sitting high on the saddle, the movement of which is reflected by the lines of force typical of Futurism . Lines of force, which the futurists say they invented, show how an object would move under the given force, and illustrate the interest of the futurists in the philosophy of Henri Bergson , who was convinced that material objects were in a state continuous flow. The painting is therefore an attempt to depict the dynamics of a racing cyclist moving through space and time, instead of a snapshot at a specific point in time.

In the final work, the lines of the sketches are converted into curves and geometric bodies, which anticipate the divisionism characteristic of Boccioni . The disharmony of the choice of color reflects the unsolved challenge of the Futurists to develop a coherent color theory that would have corresponded to their theories in other forms of representation.

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  Sketch for Dynamics of a Cyclist , 1913. Estorick Collection , London.

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  Sketch for the dynamics of a cyclist , 1913

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  Detail of the dynamic of a cyclist in which divisionism is evident

Similar works

Boccioni's other works on dynamics are the dynamics of a football player , the dynamics of a man's head , the spiral-shaped expansion of muscles in motion , which was shown at the First German Autumn Salon in Berlin in September 1913, the synthesis of human dynamics and unique forms of continuity in space , all from the Year 1913.

Russian futurism has addressed issues similar to Italian ones. Natalija Goncharova used the same techniques for depicting movement for her 1913 cyclist as Boccioni and other futurists, although the work is much more direct and less ambitious than Boccioni's painting.

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  Umberto Boccioni, Dynamics of a Soccer Player , 1913, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art , New York

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  Umberto Boccioni, Synthesis of Human Dynamics , 1913. Destroyed

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  Umberto Boccioni, Spiral expansion of muscles in motion , 1913. Lost

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  Natalija Goncharova , cyclist , 1913, oil on canvas, 78 x 105 cm, Russian Museum , St. Petersburg

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Little, Stephen. (2004) Isms: Understanding Art . London: Herbert Press, pp. 108-109. ISBN 978-0-7136-7011-0
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Umberto Boccioni. Peggy Guggenheim Collection . Retrieved February 10, 2015.
3. ↑ Joe Bray, Alison Gibbons, Brian McHale: The Routledge Companion to Experimental Literature . Routledge, Abingdon 2012, ISBN 978-1-136-30174-2 , p. 26.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Heard Hamilton, George . (1993) Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1880-1940 . 6th edition. New Haven: Yale University Press ISBN 0-300-05649-4
5. ^ "Umberto Boccioni and 100 years of Futurism". ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Andrew Graham-Dixon , January 18, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2015.  
6. ↑ On The Move , January 13 - April 18, 2010. ( Memento of the original from March 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Estorick Collection. Retrieved February 11, 2015. 
7. ↑ Dynamics of a Soccer Player by Umberto Boccioni. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Andrew Graham-Dixon, June 30, 2002. Retrieved February 11, 2015.  
8. ↑ "Women of the futurists". Sarah Kent, The Telegraph , June 16, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
9. ↑ "The Futurists' Futile Chase After Motion". Souren Melikian, The New York Times , June 19, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Umberto Boccioni  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Four sketches for the dynamics of a cyclist , 1913
• Jean Metzinger : In the Velodrom (Au Vélodrome) , 1912, oil and sand on canvas, 130.4 x 97.1 cm, Peggy Guggenheim Collection , Venice