Sheet of Studies with Five Portraits

Sheet of Studies with Five Portraits by Umberto Boccioni is a significant print created in 1909. This early work demonstrates the artist's developing interest in graphic experimentation just before his full immersion in Futurism the following year. Executed using drypoint and printed with warm brown ink, the technique allows for the characteristic fuzzy, burred line, lending immediacy and texture to the surface.

Boccioni utilizes the dramatic contrasts inherent in the drypoint process to create rapid yet forceful observations. The composition is dominated by a collection of rapidly sketched human figures, suggesting Boccioni used the plate as a dynamic sketchbook or a means of quickly capturing psychological states. The piece includes various distinct portraits and profiles of men, women, and young boys, rendered with varying degrees of clarity. While not yet exhibiting the fractured planes of the Futurist style, the energy and speed of execution evident in the etched lines foreshadow his later preoccupation with dynamism and movement.

This exceptional study sheet provides insight into Boccioni’s drawing practice during a pivotal year in Italian Modernism, illustrating his transition from traditional approaches to radical subjectivism. The original Sheet of Studies with Five Portraits print resides within the expansive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the work is now in the public domain, high-quality reference images and reproductions of this important early drypoint by Boccioni are widely accessible for scholarly study and appreciation.