Umberto Boccioni (1882-1918) together with Tommaso Marinetti are the main representatives of Italian futurism. In February 1910 he published the prominent "Manifesto of Futurist Painting", in which he pursued artists to give up the outdated and traditional norms. They should have dedicated themselves to a new art, which corresponded to the mechanization of the future. Posthumously Boccioni's works were presented documenta I-III.

Boccioni's works are characterized by a dramatically tense fragmentation of surfaces. Following the scientific principles of light he thought that not only moving, but also static bodies can produce an equally dynamic effect - because basically everything is subject to the dynamics of the universe.

The sculpture "Forme della Uniche Continuitae Nello Spazio" ("Unique Forms of Continuity in Space") was a milestone of modern art and is considered one of the masterpieces in the collection at the MoMA, New York. Boccioni's sculpture is also displayed on the present Italian 20 Century Masterpieces

An alloy of copper with other metals (especially with tin) used since ancient times.

Bronze casting:

When casting bronze, artist usually applies the lost-wax technique which is dating back more than 5000 years. It's the best, but also the most complex method of producing sculptures.

Sculpture "The Book Reader" by Ernst Barlachs is shown here as an example:

First, the artist forms a model of his sculpture. It is embedded in a liquid silicone rubber composition. Once the material has solidified, the model is cut out. The liquid wax is poured in the negative mould. After cooling down, the wax casting is removed from the mould, provided with sprues and dipped into ceramic mass. The ceramic mass is hardened in a kiln, and the wax flows out (lost mould).

Now we finally have the negative form, into which the 1400 ° C hot molten bronze is poured. After the bronze had cooled down, the ceramic shell is broken off and the sculpture comes to light.

Now the sprues are removed, the surfaces are polished, patinated and numbered by the artist himself or, to his specifications, by a specialist. Thus, each casting becomes an original work

For lower-grade bronze castings, the sand casting method is often used which, however, does not achieve the results of more complex lost wax technique in terms of surface characteristics and quality.

Related links:
Sand casting