The antigraceful 1912

Umberto Boccioni made this roughly 80cm squared painting, "The antigraceful," with oil on canvas. Boccioni attacks the canvas with short choppy strokes, a mosaic of brushwork. It's so physical, it's like he's wrestling with the paint, trying to pin down something elusive. Look at how he builds up the surface, layering the colors. The paint is thick, almost sculptural in places, giving the whole thing a kind of restless energy. It feels like he’s searching, not just depicting. The table in the foreground is a jumble of yellows and browns, like a still life in mid-explosion. The whole surface vibrates with intensity. Boccioni reminds me of Francis Picabia, they both push painting in ways that feel urgent. Art's not about answers, but about the questions we ask along the way.