States of Mind III: Those Who Stay by Umberto Boccioni, executed in oil on canvas in 1911, is the conclusive component of a landmark triptych that encapsulates the core tenets of Italian Futurism. While the other two works in the series captured the motion and emotional turbulence of departure and arrival, this painting attempts to render the psychological residue of absence, focusing on the static, enduring elements left behind. Futurism, which often focused on technology, speed, and the modern city, provided Boccioni with the theoretical framework to abolish conventional pictorial space and merge subjective experience with objective reality.
Boccioni's technique involves the simultaneous presentation of multiple perspectives, utilizing fractured planes and intersecting lines of force that structure the canvas, translating psychological feeling directly into visual form. In this piece, Boccioni favors vertical elements and a relatively subdued, cooler palette—primarily greens, grays, and blues—to suggest stability or resignation, contrasting sharply with the turbulent reds and dynamic diagonals found in its companion works. The abstract forms hint vaguely at enduring structures such as buildings or telegraph poles, providing a sense of place without offering a literal depiction.
The painting exemplifies the Italian master’s radical break from traditional representation and his belief that art should express universal dynamic sensation rather than mere objective reality. Boccioni sought to merge the memory of the event with its current emotional echo, creating a pervasive mood of reflective stasis. This foundational work from 1911 is an essential study in visual synesthesia and emotional abstraction. This historic painting resides within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. As a historically significant piece, reproductions and high-quality prints of the States of Mind III: Those Who Stay are often made available through public domain initiatives where applicable, ensuring its accessibility for study and appreciation.
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