1958, Alberto Giacometti, Portrait of Annette -- Albertina (Vienna)
From the museum label: Giacometti's favourite model was his wife, Annette, whom he had met in Geneva in 1942. In 1946 she followed him to Paris, where they married in 1949. A difficult life began for the young, fun-loving woman. Instead of buying furniture, Giacometti painted a still life onto the wall. Even as his fame rose, he refused to exchange his modest dwelling for a more comfortable apartment. Moreover, posing meant a real torture. Giacometti was not satisfied with superficially capturing his sitter's present appearance, but was determined to look behind the visible surface. He was neither interested in physiognomic accuracy nor in psychology, but sought to render the nature of human beings as a whole and depict them in their confrontation with the exterior world, which was perceived as hostile.
1958, Alberto Giacometti, Portrait of Annette -- Albertina (Vienna)
From the museum label: Giacometti's favourite model was his wife, Annette, whom he had met in Geneva in 1942. In 1946 she followed him to Paris, where they married in 1949. A difficult life began for the young, fun-loving woman. Instead of buying furniture, Giacometti painted a still life onto the wall. Even as his fame rose, he refused to exchange his modest dwelling for a more comfortable apartment. Moreover, posing meant a real torture. Giacometti was not satisfied with superficially capturing his sitter's present appearance, but was determined to look behind the visible surface. He was neither interested in physiognomic accuracy nor in psychology, but sought to render the nature of human beings as a whole and depict them in their confrontation with the exterior world, which was perceived as hostile.