Modigliani (part 2)

My summer reading included a Modigliani art book by Parisot.

I enjoyed this book more than the other Modigliani book I read last spring.

I made a quick slideshow and synced to a Yellowcard song called Only One.

 

 

Video:

 

1. Modigliani really loved to sculpt, but the dust and heavy work involved made him even more physically ill. Here is one of the limestone carving he made.

 

2. Modigliani’s portraits have elongated necks and almond-shaped eyes, which give us a similar feel to his sculpture work.

Some say his work shows keen psychological insight for his sitters, along with a special rhythm that can be felt with each brushstroke.

 

 

3. Modigliani had poor health since childhood. His ongoing health problems also made him unfit for war, and so on 8-3-1914, when war was declared, he was not able to go and fight.

This allowed him to paint some of his best pieces, and he also met a very special love in his life, Jeanne.

L- Modigliani self-portrait, 1919 & R- Jeanne Hebuterne in Red Shawl, 1917

4.  Modigliani painted 16 portraits of Jeanne Hebuterne.

Jeanne was Modigliani’s baby-momma – well – she was also the last love of his life and sadly, she committed suicide the day after he died on 1-24-1920 (thanks Amy).  So sad!! (She was also 8 mos. with child at the time – even more sad…)

Jeanne Hebuterne

 

5. Modigliani only made 5 landscape paintings and here are 3 of them.

Notice that the one on the left has a nice big ol’ “Y” in it (thanks Dedo)…

6. This 1906 painting is one of the few early works that survived.  It gives us a feel for his early works before he had the Paris permeation.

Woman’s Head with Beauty Spot, 1906

7. This 1919 portrait is the very last painting created by Modigliani. Some say that Modigliani’s last works show that he was centered and more settled, even though still sick with tuberculosis and substance abuse.

Portrait of Mario Varvogli, 1919

 

8.  When Modigliani painted a portrait, he needed to have the sitter in the studio. He made a lot of nudes, but I am not going to include them here for manny reasons. 🙂

Modigliani said, “In order to work I need a live person before me.” This is different from other artists, like Cezanne, who said that painting comes from the mind.

Parisot notes that Modigliani “started with a probing analysis of the sitter’s character, and then made a particular study of the individual’s particular beauty and gentler qualities. And even closer rapport was created between the artist and his sitter (male or female) they reflected each other in a mirror.”

 

9.)  Amedeo, or “Dedo,” Modigliani was native Italian and he missed Italy very much. He stayed in Paris to create as an artist. He created most of his work in France over a period of 15 years, and when he died he murmured:

"Cara Italia!"

10. Here are some of his signatures from paintings:

11. Two Quotes from Modigliani:

“What I am searching for is neither the real nor the unreal, but the subconscious, the mystery of what is instinctive in the human race.”

“Always speak out and keep forging ahead. The man who cannot find new ambitions and even a new person within himself, who is always destined to wrestle with what has remained rotten and decadent in his own personality, is not a man.”

12. Modigliani, as noted in Part 1, was greatly influenced by other artists, especially Cezanne.  This landscape has a Cezanne feel to it:

Landscape -Southern France, 1919

Have a nice Friday –

In case you missed it, here is the link to Part 1 and in a couple of months, I will have a part 3 for Modigliani.

Also, in  a few days I will share a couple more “great read” I had this summer/fall.  Peace!