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When Amedeo Modigliani moved from Italy to Paris in 1906, the leading artists of the avant-garde were exploring the forms and construction of “primitive” objects. Inspired by Paul Gauguin’s directly carved sculptures, Constantin Brancusi, André Derain, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso began to make archaizing stone and wood sculptures. Brancusi, with whom Modigliani developed a close friendship, exerted a strong influence on the Italian; this is particularly obvious in his attempts at carving between the years 1909 and 1915, when he made idol-like heads and caryatids with monumental and simplified forms.
Modigliani’s sculptural concerns were translated into paint in Jeanne Hébuterne with Yellow Sweater, in which he portrayed his young companion as a kind of fertility goddess. With her highly stylized narrow face and blank eyes she has the serene countenance of a deity, and the artist’s emphasis on massive hips and thighs mimics the focus of ancient sculptures that fetishize reproduction. Both this work and Nude, with their simplified, elongated oval faces, gracefully attenuated noses, and button mouths, suggest the artist’s interest in African masks.
Modigliani painted the human figure almost exclusively and created at least 26 reclining female nudes. Although the impact of Modernist practice on his art was great, he was also profoundly concerned with tradition; the poses of Nude and similar works echo precursors by Titian, Goya, and Velázquez. Nevertheless, Modigliani’s figures differ significantly in the level of raw sensuality they transmit. His nudes have often been considered lascivious, even pornographic, in part because they are depicted with body hair, but perhaps also due to the artist’s reputation for debauchery. His nickname, Modi, rhymes with the French word maudit (accursed), a name he very likely acquired because of his lifestyle. Modigliani died of tuberculosis and complications probably brought on by substance abuse and hard living. The tragic fact that Jeanne Hébuterne, pregnant with their second child, committed suicide the next day has only contributed to the infusion of romantic speculation concerning Modigliani’s work.
Rue Campagne Premier 21/01/2023 10h17
Rue Campagne Premier as seen from the Boulevard Raspail with in the foreground the pole of métro station Raspail and Square Yves Klein. What is very striking is the building Immeuble atelier d'André Arfvidson. The building located at 31-31bis rue Campagne-Première in the 14th arrondissement of Paris dates from 1910; it is the work of architect André-Louis Arfvisdon.
Rue Campagne Premier
Rue Campagne Premier is a street in the 14ème arrondissement of Paris in the quartier Montparnasse. Has a length of 266 meters and a width of 12 meters. Starts at Boulevard Montparnasse and ends at Boulevard Raspail.
So named by the revolutionary general Alexandre Camille Taponnier (1749-1831), owner of surrounding land, who wanted to evoke his first military campaign, the battle of Wissembourg in 1793.
The sculptor François Pompon (1855-1933) was installed there in a studio-housing, from 1877 to his death in 1933, as well as Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920).
This street is served by métro station Raspail (4, 6) and Vavin (4).
Femme aux yeux bleus
Œuvre d'Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920)
vers 1918
Huile sur toile
Legs du Dr Maurice Girardin en 1953
Un des chefs-d’œuvre du musée !
Article de Wikipedia sur le peintre
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Modigliani
Site du musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris
www.mam.paris.fr/fr/collection
on y cherchera vainement un catalogue en ligne décrivant les collections permanentes !
Das Museum Barberini Potsdam stellt Kunstwerke des italienischen Künstlers Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) aus.
Foto: Porträt von Modiglianis Galerist Paul Guillaume, 1915, Öl auf Karton.
c. 1915. Oli sobre tela. 82 x 46 cm. Musée de l'Orangerie, París. RF 1963-70. Obra exposada: Sala 8.
Amedeo Modigliani
Femme blonde (Germaine Survage) [1918]
Nancy MBA
Germaine Survage est la femme de Léopold Survage, peintre, graveur et ami de Modigliani. Il réalise ce portrait à Nice au cours de l'étè 1918, moins de deux ans avant sa mort.
MBA Nancy
1919. Oli sobre tela. 91,4 x 73 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nova York. 56.184.2. Obra exposada: Galeria 900.
French postcard by Editions la Malibran, Saint Dié, no. CF 44.
The legendary idol of the French cinema Gérard Philipe (1922–1959) was adored for his good looks, but he was also a very talented actor. He played roles as diverse as Faust and Modigliani and he was sought out by France's preeminent directors for his versatility and professionalism.
Gérard Philipe (sometimes written as Philippe) was born Gérard Philip in Cannes, France in 1922. In 1940, Gérard left school and his parents wanted him to become a lawyer. His mother noticed that he was only interested in acting, but his father was against the idea. Gérard's father, a successful businessman, was a right-wing extremist and collaborated with the Nazis. After the war, he was forced to exile to Spain to escape a death sentence. Gérard himself was his whole life a staunch social liberal politically wise. Actor Claude Dauphin introduced the young Philippe in 1942 to the stage. One of his first parts was as the angel in 'Sodome et Gomorrhe' by Jean Giraudoux in 1943. Director Marc Allégret decided that he showed some promise and gave him a small part in his film Les petites du quai aux fleurs/The Girls From the Quai aux Fleurs (Marc Allégret, 1944) starring Odette Joyeux. With the support of his admirer Jean Cocteau, he entered the Paris Conservatory where under the tutelage of Georges Le Roy he discovered his passion for live theatre. In 1945 he received rave reviews for his performance in the stage production of Albert Camus’ 'Caligula'. This success further opened the doors to the cinema. His first leading part in Le pays sans étoiles/Land Without Stars (Georges Lacombe, 1946) opposite Jany Holt got so many favourable reviews that he became a star.
In 1947, Gérard Philipe exploded upon the European film scene in Le diable au corps/Devil in the Flesh (Claude Autant-Lara, 1947), playing Francois Jaubert, a callow youth in love with much older and very married Micheline Presle. Superstardom followed almost immediately: female filmgoers doted upon Philippe's sensitive, handsome features and strapping physique, while men identified with his soulfulness and introspection. Next, he would take on prominent roles in such classic films as Une si jolie petite plage/Such a Pretty Little Beach (Yves Allégret, 1949), and La beauté du diable/Beauty and the Devil (René Clair, 1950) as Faust. He was an international success as the tongue-in-cheek titular swashbuckler Fanfan la Tulipe/Fan-Fan the Tulip (Christian-Jaque, 1952), one of the most popular historical-adventure films made in France. At Films de France, James Travers reviews: "Not only is the film impeccably made, with lavish production values, stunning cinematography and impressively choreographed fight scenes, but it has a timeless quality which will no doubt ensure it will remain a popular classic for years to come. Philipe excels in this film in what is regarded by many as his finest film role, the indefatigable womaniser and agile swordsman Fanfan la Tulipe. Philipe is simply brilliant in the role, tackling the numerous swordfights and Henri Jeanson’s sparkling dialogue with equal relish." He appeared with such great stars of the European cinema as Italian beauty Gina Lollobrigida in Les belles de nuit/Beauties of the Night (René Clair, 1952), with Michèle Morgan in both Les orgueilleux/The Proud Ones (Yves Allégret, 1953) and Les grandes manœuvres/The Grand Maneuver (René Clair, 1955). In 1956, Philipe starred in and directed a filmization of the old folk tale Till Eulenspiegel, Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle/Bold Adventure (Gérard Philipe, Joris Ivens, 1956). The French-East-German coproduction was not a success. He simultaneously pursued his stage career, with a keen involvement in the Théatre National de Paris, which would endure up until his death. Whilst working at the TNP, Philipe, a strong believer in egalitarianism, would draw exactly the same salary as junior actors. He would also become president of the French actors union, actively promoting the rights of actors.
Gérard Philipe continued his string of film successes throughout the 1950s. Among these films were the Fyodor Dostoevsky adaptation Le joueur/The Gambler (Claude Autant-Lara, 1958) with Liselotte Pulver, and Les liaisons dangereuses/Dangerous Liaisons (Roger Vadim, 1959) opposite Jeanne Moreau. In 1959 doctors told Philippe that he had liver cancer. On 25 November that year, while working on Luis Buñuel's Le Fievre Monte a El Pao/Fever Mounts at El Pao (Luis Buñuel, 1959), he died at the peak of his popularity. He was just 36 years old. The news provoked an immediate and intense outpouring of grief. His early death elevated him to a near-legendary status in France. Since 1951, Philipe was married to actress and writer Nicole Fourcade, with whom he had two children, writer and actor Anne-Marie Philipe (1954) and Olivier Philipe (1957). Nicole adopted the pseudonym Anne Philipe and wrote two books about her husband, Souvenirs (1960) and Le Temps d'un soupir (1963, No Longer Than a Sigh). In 1961, Gérard's portrait appeared on a French commemorative postage stamp. There is a film festival named in his honour as well as a number of theatres, schools and colleges in various parts of France. He was also very popular in Germany, and a Berlin theatre has been named after him.
Sources: James Travers (Le Film Guide), AllMovie, Films de France, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
French postcard by Editions La Malibran, Paris, no. CF 24. Photo: N. Hayer. Gérard Philipe and Renée Faure in La chartreuse de Parme (Christian-Jaque, 1948).
The legendary idol of the French cinema Gérard Philipe (1922–1959) was adored for his good looks, but he was also a very talented actor. He played roles as diverse as Faust and Modigliani and he was sought out by France's preeminent directors for his versatility and professionalism.
Gérard Philipe (sometimes written as Philippe) was born Gérard Philip in Cannes, France in 1922. In 1940, Gérard left school and his parents wanted him to become a lawyer. His mother noticed that he was only interested in acting, but his father was against the idea. Gérard's father, a successful businessman, was a right-wing extremist and collaborated with the Nazis. After the war, he was forced to exile to Spain to escape a death sentence. Gérard himself was his whole life a staunch social liberal politically wise. Actor Claude Dauphin introduced the young Philippe in 1942 to the stage. One of his first parts was as the angel in 'Sodome et Gomorrhe' by Jean Giraudoux in 1943. Director Marc Allégret decided that he showed some promise and gave him a small part in his film Les petites du quai aux fleurs/The Girls From the Quai aux Fleurs (Marc Allégret, 1944) starring Odette Joyeux. With the support of his admirer Jean Cocteau, he entered the Paris Conservatory where under the tutelage of Georges Le Roy he discovered his passion for live theatre. In 1945 he received rave reviews for his performance in the stage production of Albert Camus’ 'Caligula'. This success further opened the doors to the cinema. His first leading part in Le pays sans étoiles/Land Without Stars (Georges Lacombe, 1946) opposite Jany Holt got so many favourable reviews that he became a star.
In 1947, Gérard Philipe exploded upon the European film scene in Le diable au corps/Devil in the Flesh (Claude Autant-Lara, 1947), playing Francois Jaubert, a callow youth in love with much older and very married Micheline Presle. Superstardom followed almost immediately: female filmgoers doted upon Philippe's sensitive, handsome features and strapping physique, while men identified with his soulfulness and introspection. Next, he would take on prominent roles in such classic films as Une si jolie petite plage/Such a Pretty Little Beach (Yves Allégret, 1949), and La beauté du diable/Beauty and the Devil (René Clair, 1950) as Faust. He was an international success as the tongue-in-cheek titular swashbuckler Fanfan la Tulipe/Fan-Fan the Tulip (Christian-Jaque, 1952), one of the most popular historical-adventure films made in France. At Films de France, James Travers reviews: "Not only is the film impeccably made, with lavish production values, stunning cinematography and impressively choreographed fight scenes, but it has a timeless quality which will no doubt ensure it will remain a popular classic for years to come. Philipe excels in this film in what is regarded by many as his finest film role, the indefatigable womaniser and agile swordsman Fanfan la Tulipe. Philipe is simply brilliant in the role, tackling the numerous swordfights and Henri Jeanson’s sparkling dialogue with equal relish." He appeared with such great stars of the European cinema as Italian beauty Gina Lollobrigida in Les belles de nuit/Beauties of the Night (René Clair, 1952), with Michèle Morgan in both Les orgueilleux/The Proud Ones (Yves Allégret, 1953) and Les grandes manœuvres/The Grand Maneuver (René Clair, 1955). In 1956, Philipe starred in and directed a filmization of the old folk tale Till Eulenspiegel, Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle/Bold Adventure (Gérard Philipe, Joris Ivens, 1956). The French-East-German coproduction was not a success. He simultaneously pursued his stage career, with a keen involvement in the Théatre National de Paris, which would endure up until his death. Whilst working at the TNP, Philipe, a strong believer in egalitarianism, would draw exactly the same salary as junior actors. He would also become president of the French actors union, actively promoting the rights of actors.
Gérard Philipe continued his string of film successes throughout the 1950s. Among these films were the Fyodor Dostoevsky adaptation Le joueur/The Gambler (Claude Autant-Lara, 1958) with Liselotte Pulver, and Les liaisons dangereuses/Dangerous Liaisons (Roger Vadim, 1959) opposite Jeanne Moreau. In 1959 doctors told Philippe that he had liver cancer. On 25 November that year, while working on Luis Buñuel's Le Fievre Monte a El Pao/Fever Mounts at El Pao (Luis Buñuel, 1959), he died at the peak of his popularity. He was just 36 years old. The news provoked an immediate and intense outpouring of grief. His early death elevated him to a near-legendary status in France. Since 1951, Philipe was married to actress and writer Nicole Fourcade, with whom he had two children, writer and actor Anne-Marie Philipe (1954) and Olivier Philipe (1957). Nicole adopted the pseudonym Anne Philipe and wrote two books about her husband, Souvenirs (1960) and Le Temps d'un soupir (1963, No Longer Than a Sigh). In 1961, Gérard's portrait appeared on a French commemorative postage stamp. There is a film festival named in his honour as well as a number of theatres, schools and colleges in various parts of France. He was also very popular in Germany, and a Berlin theatre has been named after him.
Sources: James Travers (Le Film Guide), AllMovie, Films de France, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
1918. Oli sobre tela. 89,53 x 64,13 cm. Los Angels County Museum of Art, Los Angeles. M.68.46.2. Obra no exposada.
c. 1918. Oli sobre tela. 81 x 53,5 cm. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo. MASP.00152.
Hello Ikea Hacker visitors! :)
ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/05/black-and-red-clothespin-...
Thanks, Jules!
The slender figure and the overlong neck remind me of the style of Modigliani.
Self Portrait in a velvet dress (1926)
This is Frida's first self-portrait. It was painted as s gift for her student boyfriend, Alejandro Gomez Arias, who had left her. It was given as a token of love by which she hoped to restore his affection and keep her in his thoughts. Her plea for his love worked and not long after Alejandro received the portrait, they were rejoined.
The aristocratic pose reflects Frida's interest in the paintings of the Italian Renaissance period. This selfportrait is Frida's interpretation of Botticelli's "Venus" which Alejandro admired. The same style would later appear in her "Portrait of Alicia Gallant", 1927 ("http://www.fridakahlofans.com/c0022.html"), and "Portrait of Adriana", 1927 (http://www.fridakahlofans.com/c0023.html ).
Frida began this self-portrait in the summer of 1926 and sent it to Alejandro in late September. On the back of the painting she inscribed a dedication: "For Alex. Frida Kahlo, at the age of 17, September 1926 - Coyoacan - Heute ist immer noch" (Today still goes on).
In March of 1927, Alejandro's parents sent him an a tour of Europe with his uncle ... mainly to separate him from Frida, of whom they did not approve. Before leaving, he returned the painting to Frida for safe keeping.
This self-portrait was one of four paintings that Frida took to show Diego Rivera and ask his opinion of her work. After viewing the paintings, Rivera remarked that he was most interested in this self-portrait ".... because it is the most original" he said.
ART IS A DISEASE...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Modigliani
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Modigliani
This picture is © Copyrighted.
None of these photos may be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the Internet without my written permission. Please contact me if you would like to use one of my images.
Oil on canvas; 81.5 x 55.6 cm.
Modigliani was born into a Jewish family of merchants. As a child he suffered from pleurisy and typhus, which prevented him from receiving a conventional education. In 1898 he began to study painting. After a brief stay in Florence in 1902, he continued his artistic studies in Venice, remaining there until the winter of 1906, when he left for Paris. His early admiration for Italian Renaissance painting—especially that of Siena—was to last throughout his life. In Paris Modigliani became interested in the Post-Impressionist paintings of Paul Cézanne. His initial important contacts were with the poets André Salmon and Max Jacob, with the artist Pablo Picasso, and—in 1907—with Paul Alexandre, a friend of many avant-garde artists and the first to become interested in Modigliani and to buy his works. In 1908 the artist exhibited five or six paintings at the Salon des Indépendants. In 1909 Modigliani met the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, on whose advice he seriously studied African sculpture. To prepare himself for creating his own sculpture, he intensified his graphic experiments. In his drawings Modigliani tried to give the function of limiting or enclosing volumes to his contours. In 1912 he exhibited at the Salon d’Automne eight stone heads whose elongated and simplified forms reflect the influence of African sculpture. Modigliani returned entirely to painting about 1915, but his experience as a sculptor had fundamental consequences for his painting style. The characteristics of Modigliani’s sculptured heads—long necks and noses, simplified features, and long oval faces—became typical of his paintings. He reduced and almost eliminated chiaroscuro (the use of gradations of light and shadow to achieve the illusion of three-dimensionality), and he achieved a sense of solidity with strong contours and the richness of juxtaposed colors.
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 increased the difficulties of Modigliani’s life. Alexandre and some of his other friends were at the front, his paintings did not sell, and his already delicate health was deteriorating because of his poverty, feverish work ethic, and abuse of alcohol and drugs. He was in the midst of a troubled affair with the South African poet Beatrice Hastings, with whom he lived for two years, from 1914 to 1916. He was assisted, however, by the art dealer Paul Guillaume and especially by the Polish poet Leopold Zborowski, who bought or helped him to sell a few paintings and drawings.
Modigliani was not a professional portraitist; for him the portrait was only an occasion to isolate a figure as a kind of sculptural relief through firm and expressive contour drawing. He painted his friends, usually personalities of the Parisian artistic and literary world (such as the artists Juan Gris and Jacques Lipchitz, the writer and artist Jean Cocteau, and the poet Max Jacob), but he also portrayed unknown people, including models, servants, and girls from the neighborhood. In 1917 he began painting a series of about 30 large female nudes that, with their warm, glowing colors and sensuous, rounded forms, are among his best works. In December of that year Berthe Weill organized a solo show for him in her gallery, but the police judged the nudes indecent and had them removed.
In 1917 Modigliani began a love affair with the young painter Jeanne Hébuterne, with whom he went to live on the Côte d’Azur. Their daughter, Jeanne, was born in November 1918. His painting became increasingly refined in line and delicate in colour. A more tranquil life and the climate of the Mediterranean, however, did not restore the artist’s undermined health. After returning to Paris in May 1919, he became ill in January 1920; 10 days later he died of tubercular meningitis. Little-known outside avant-garde Parisian circles, Modigliani had seldom participated in official exhibitions. Fame came after his death, with a solo exhibition at the Bernheim-Jeune Gallery in 1922 and later with a biography by André Salmon. For decades critical evaluations of Modigliani’s work were overshadowed by the dramatic story of his tragic life, but he is now acknowledged as one of the most significant and original artists of his time.
Amedeo Modigliani - Reclining Nude from the Back, 1917 at Barnes Foundation Philadelphia PA from the Masterworks Collection Catalog
1917. Oli sobre tela. 61 x 38 x 3 cm. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo. MASP.00149.
Corona-No 15
Amedeo Modigliani Videoconference
with the following participants
1) Portrait 01 Christina [1916] - Bonhams
2) Portrait 02 of the painter Manuel Humbert [1916]
3) Portrait 03 Nu assis sur un divan (La belle Romaine) [1917]
4) Portrait 04 Woman with red hair [1917]
5) Portrait 05 La femme à l'éventail [1919]
6) Portrait 06 Ritratto di Dèdie (Odette Hayden) [1918]
7) Portrait 07 of Jeanne Hébuterne, his Mistress [1919]
8) Portrait 08 Leopold Zborowski (art dealer & poet) [1916]
9) Portrait 09 Jean Cocteau [1916] (French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic)
Please watch the video
>Una Cuarentena con Arte<
"A quarantine with Art" by friking.es on youtube
In Antwerp / Belgium.
River Cruise Ship Modigliani - CroisiEurope Cruises.
River Cruise Ship River Harmony - Grand Circle Cruise Line.
Thank you all for your visit !
Jeanne Modigliani, née Giovanna Hébuterne le 29 novembre 1918 à Nice et morte le 27 juillet 1984, est la fille du peintre de l'École de Paris Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) et de sa compagne Jeanne Hébuterne (1898-1920), également artiste-peintre. Le surlendemain de la mort d'Amedeo Modigliani, le 24 janvier 1920, sa jeune compagne Jeanne Hébuterne, alors enceinte de neuf mois, se suicide en se défenestrant. Leur fille Giovanna, âgée de quatorze mois et alors en nourrice, est recueillie et élevée à Livourne par sa grand-mère et sa tante paternelles, Eugénie Garsin-Modigliani et sa fille célibataire Margherita Modigliani.
Jeanne épouse l'économiste italien Mario Cesare Silvio Levi. Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, elle rejoint la Résistance française, rencontre Valdemar Nechtschein (alias Victor Leduc, dit « Valdi »), se marie avec lui et ont deux filles, Anne, née en 1946, et Laure, née en 1951, mais divorcent en 1980. Devenue historienne d'art et ayant entre autres écrit en 1952 sur Van Gogh, elle en vient à s'intéresser à l'œuvre de son père et rédige en 1958 sa biographie, Modigliani, l'homme et le mythe. Elle meurt le 27 juillet 1984 à Pariset ses cendres se trouvent au crématorium-columbarium du Père-Lachaise (cf. wikipédia).
Amedeo Modigliani - Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne, 1918 at Barnes Foundation Philadelphia PA from the Masterworks Collection Catalog
Conté crayon; 29.5 × 22.1 cm.
Modigliani was born into a Jewish family of merchants. As a child he suffered from pleurisy and typhus, which prevented him from receiving a conventional education. In 1898 he began to study painting. After a brief stay in Florence in 1902, he continued his artistic studies in Venice, remaining there until the winter of 1906, when he left for Paris. His early admiration for Italian Renaissance painting—especially that of Siena—was to last throughout his life. In Paris Modigliani became interested in the Post-Impressionist paintings of Paul Cézanne. His initial important contacts were with the poets André Salmon and Max Jacob, with the artist Pablo Picasso, and—in 1907—with Paul Alexandre, a friend of many avant-garde artists and the first to become interested in Modigliani and to buy his works. In 1908 the artist exhibited five or six paintings at the Salon des Indépendants. In 1909 Modigliani met the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, on whose advice he seriously studied African sculpture. To prepare himself for creating his own sculpture, he intensified his graphic experiments. In his drawings Modigliani tried to give the function of limiting or enclosing volumes to his contours. In 1912 he exhibited at the Salon d’Automne eight stone heads whose elongated and simplified forms reflect the influence of African sculpture. Modigliani returned entirely to painting about 1915, but his experience as a sculptor had fundamental consequences for his painting style. The characteristics of Modigliani’s sculptured heads—long necks and noses, simplified features, and long oval faces—became typical of his paintings. He reduced and almost eliminated chiaroscuro (the use of gradations of light and shadow to achieve the illusion of three-dimensionality), and he achieved a sense of solidity with strong contours and the richness of juxtaposed colors.
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 increased the difficulties of Modigliani’s life. Alexandre and some of his other friends were at the front, his paintings did not sell, and his already delicate health was deteriorating because of his poverty, feverish work ethic, and abuse of alcohol and drugs. He was in the midst of a troubled affair with the South African poet Beatrice Hastings, with whom he lived for two years, from 1914 to 1916. He was assisted, however, by the art dealer Paul Guillaume and especially by the Polish poet Leopold Zborowski, who bought or helped him to sell a few paintings and drawings.
Modigliani was not a professional portraitist; for him the portrait was only an occasion to isolate a figure as a kind of sculptural relief through firm and expressive contour drawing. He painted his friends, usually personalities of the Parisian artistic and literary world (such as the artists Juan Gris and Jacques Lipchitz, the writer and artist Jean Cocteau, and the poet Max Jacob), but he also portrayed unknown people, including models, servants, and girls from the neighborhood. In 1917 he began painting a series of about 30 large female nudes that, with their warm, glowing colors and sensuous, rounded forms, are among his best works. In December of that year Berthe Weill organized a solo show for him in her gallery, but the police judged the nudes indecent and had them removed.
In 1917 Modigliani began a love affair with the young painter Jeanne Hébuterne, with whom he went to live on the Côte d’Azur. Their daughter, Jeanne, was born in November 1918. His painting became increasingly refined in line and delicate in colour. A more tranquil life and the climate of the Mediterranean, however, did not restore the artist’s undermined health. After returning to Paris in May 1919, he became ill in January 1920; 10 days later he died of tubercular meningitis. Little-known outside avant-garde Parisian circles, Modigliani had seldom participated in official exhibitions. Fame came after his death, with a solo exhibition at the Bernheim-Jeune Gallery in 1922 and later with a biography by André Salmon. For decades critical evaluations of Modigliani’s work were overshadowed by the dramatic story of his tragic life, but he is now acknowledged as one of the most significant and original artists of his time.
Huile sur toile, 73 x 117 cm, 1917, Guggenheim Museum, New-York.
Quand Amedeo Modigliani a quitté l'Italie pour Paris en 1906, les principaux artistes de l'avant-garde exploraient les formes et la construction d'objets "primitifs". Inspirés par les sculptures directement sculptées de Paul Gauguin, exposées dans une rétrospective cette année-là, Constantin Brancusi, André Derain, Henri Matisse et Pablo Picasso ont commencé à faire des sculptures archaïques en pierre et en bois. Brancusi, avec qui Modigliani a développé une amitié étroite, a exercé une forte influence sur lui. Cela est particulièrement évident dans ses tentatives de sculpture des années 1909-1915, quand il a fait des têtes et des cariatides idolâtres avec des formes monumentales et simplifiées.
Les préoccupations sculpturales de Modigliani ont été traduites en peinture dans Jeanne Hébuterne avec Le Pull jaune, dans laquelle il dépeint sa jeune compagne comme une sorte de déesse de la fertilité. Avec son visage étroit très stylisé et ses yeux vierges, elle a en effet le visage serein d'une divinité, et l'accent mis par l'artiste sur les hanches et les cuisses massives imite le sculptures anciennes fétichisant la reproduction. Cette œuvre et Le Pull jaune, avec leurs visages ovales simplifiés et allongés, leurs nez gracieusement atténués et leurs bouches de bouton, suggèrent l’intérêt de l’artiste pour les masques africains.
Modigliani a peint la figure humaine presque exclusivement et a créé au moins 26 nus féminins couchés (dont il n'en reste aujourd'hui que 22). Bien que l'impact de la pratique moderniste sur son art soit important, il était également profondément préoccupé par la tradition, les poses de Nu et œuvres similaires faisant écho aux précurseurs de Titien, Goya et Velázquez, mais différant considérablement par le niveau de sensualité brute qu’ils transmettent. Ses nus ont souvent été considérés comme lascifs, voire pornographiques, en partie parce qu’ils sont représentés avec des poils, mais peut-être aussi en raison de la réputation de l’artiste pour la débauche. Son surnom, Modi, rime avec le mot français maudit, un nom qu'il a très probablement acquis en raison de son mode de vie. Modigliani est mort de tuberculose et de complications probablement provoquées par la toxicomanie et la vie difficile. Le fait tragique que Jeanne Hébuterne, enceinte de leur deuxième enfant, se soit suicidée le lendemain n’a contribué qu’à alimenter la spéculation romantique concernant le travail de Modigliani (cf. Jennifer Blessing, Guggenheim Museum).