María Sacchi Reading 1907

Umberto Boccioni etched this portrait of María Sacchi, capturing a moment of quiet absorption. The stark black and white of the etching lends a graphic quality, almost like a newsprint image, yet there's an intimacy in the lines that makes it feel immediate and personal. Look at the marks around her face: they aren’t just lines, they are tiny furrows, like the artist is digging into the plate. There's something tender, but also restless, in the way the lines seem to search for a form, not quite settling, always moving. It's this quality that makes it feel alive. I am reminded of other artists who use line and tone to convey psychological depth and emotional complexity. Think of Käthe Kollwitz and her powerful depictions of human suffering and resilience, or the raw, expressive portraits of Egon Schiele, both of whom I feel wrestling with the human condition in a similar way.