Umberto Boccioni, States of Mind: The Farewells, 1911

Umberto Boccioni’s States of Mind: The Farewells (1911) is part of a triptych that explores the emotional and psychological turbulence associated with travel, separation, and modernity. Alongside its companion pieces, Those Who Go and Those Who Stay, it captures the Futurist fascination with movement, energy, and the fragmented experience of contemporary life.

The painting portrays a bustling train station, with intersecting lines, overlapping forms, and swirling patterns that evoke the chaos and energy of departure. The movement of the train, the figures, and the surrounding environment blend into a unified, dynamic whole.

Boccioni employs a Cubist-inspired fragmentation of forms, but with a Futurist emphasis on speed and flow. The train, passengers, and station are deconstructed into geometric planes and curves, dissolving into each other to suggest the transience of the moment.

A vibrant palette of blues, yellows, and reds reflects the emotional intensity of the scene. The colors convey the contrasting feelings of excitement, anxiety, and melancholy that accompany farewells.

The train, a recurring symbol in Futurist art, represents modernity, progress, and the unstoppable force of technological advancement. Its presence underscores the themes of movement and the fragmentation of time and space in the modern era.

While the work captures external movement, it also delves into the internal states of those saying goodbye. The fragmented forms reflect the disconnection and emotional turbulence of separation, as well as the broader human experience in a rapidly changing world.

The Farewells is a powerful visual metaphor for the upheavals of modernity, where technological progress and human emotion collide. It exemplifies Boccioni’s ability to convey not only physical motion but also the psychological and emotional states associated with it.