Medium: Sculpture

"Unique Forms of Continuity in Space"

This sculpture is Boccioni's representation of his theory of plastic dynamism. He chose sculpture as the medium because the sculpture is always made out of some material. Boccioni was up to date on a lot of the scientific discovery of molecules during this time, so he believed that by creating this sculpture out of elemental materials, his art would have the inherent motion of the molecules of which the sculpture is constructed. Additionally, when looking at “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space,” a straight line may be seen from one angle, but then when looked at from a different perspective, it is curved. By depicting the running man as a sculpture, he was able to create the curves and the entire environment that is consumed by the motion. He did not want the finite lines that bind a painting, rather he wanted the continuity of the lines to curve and flow. Although there are edges and points on the sculpture, there are no completely straight lines except on the face of the sculpture which represents the pointed determination of the running man. By avoiding straight lines, Boccioni is adding the motion of fluidity. He writes, “by means of the sculptor’s clay, the Futurist today can at last model the atmosphere which surrounds things.” Boccioni is referring to the interaction between the object and the environment which can finally be achieved through sculpture. By combining both the inherent motion of medium and the relative motion achieved through the curvatures unbound by 2-dimensions, Boccioni is able to create the physical representation of his plastic dynamism theories with “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space.”