During the early 1900s in Paris, the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo
Modigliani, b. July 12, 1884, d. Jan. 24, 1920, developed a unique style.
Today his graceful portraits evoke his name, but during his brief career
few apart from his fellow artists were aware of his gifts. Modigliani
had to struggle against poverty and chronic ill health, dying of tuberculosis
and excesses of drink and drugs at the age of 35.
In 1906, Modigliani settled in Paris, where he encountered the works
of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Georges Rouault, and Pablo Picasso (in
his "blue period") and assimilated their influence, as in The
Jewess (1908; private collection, Paris). The strong influence of Paul
Cezanne's paintings is clearly evident, both in Modigliani's deliberate
distortion of the figure and the free use of large, flat areas of color.
His friendship with Constantin Brancusi kindled Modigliani's interest
in sculpture, in which he would continue his very personal idiom, distinguished
by strong linear rhythms, simple elongated forms, and verticality. Head
(1912; Guggenheim Museum, New York City) and Caryatid (1914; Museum of
Modern Art, New York City) exemplify his sculptural work, which consists
mainly of heads and, less often, of full figures.
After 1915, Modigliani devoted himself entirely to painting, producing
some of his best work. His interest in African masks and sculpture remains
evident, especially in the treatment of the sitters' faces: flat and
masklike, with almond eyes, twisted noses, pursed mouths, and elongated
necks. Despite their extreme economy of composition and neutral backgrounds,
the portraits convey a sharp sense of the sitter's personality, as in
Moise Kisling (1915; private collection, Milan).
Photo Above: Jeanne II |
