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1884 - 1920

Amedeo Clemente Modigliani

description

An Italian painter, sculptor and graphic artist of Jewish-French descent, who lived and worked in Paris. One of the most famous artists of the early 20th century, who developed his characteristic style with a clean line, a meditative atmosphere and with elongated shapes.

Modigliani originally intended to be a sculptor. Encouraged and inspired by Brancusi, for almost five years of his short creative career, he began carving his heads out of stone, but dust of limestone and sandstone damaged his lungs, weakened by tuberculosis, and coughing fits did not let him work. In addition, during the First World War, marble was almost gone; the stone became expensive and was inaccessible to the poor master. The artist started painting but did not change his style – his portraits are as recognizable as sculptures.

The artist’s works were almost unsuccessful during his life – at two exhibitions, he sold only a few sculptures. Having become extremely popular after his early death, a few (about 30) stone sculptures remain so even now. One of the “Heads” by Amadeo Modigliani, sold by the Christie auction house for more than 43 million euros, became an absolute record for sculpture. In the study of art, the understandable term “Modigliani style” is used; it is rather conditionally related to Expressionism.

Key ideas:

– The central theme of Modigliani’s sculptures, like in his paintings, was a human being. Friends of the master recalled that he repeatedly spoke of his desire to engage in sculpture, but the poor artist was stopped by the high price of materials.

– Constantin Brancusi, who noted the plasticity and volume of the sketches of Amedeo (the so-called caryatids), became his teacher. The artist was so carried away by this type of art – it became his main occupation for more than four years.

– The characteristic features of the “Modigliani’s” sculptural portrait are associated with the master’s departure from the realistic depiction of the original appearance to stylization. The figures, acquiring smoothly curved and elongated shapes, have clear contours and expressive plasticity.

– In the sculptures by Modigliani, individual motifs of Greek, African, and Egyptian art are easily recognizable. Series of his works are called caryatids, and other stone heads are associated with the faces and hairstyles of ancient Egyptian sculptures. The artist used even outlines, depicted long noses, small, often pursed lips, thin elongated necks. Together with “blind” almond-shaped eyes, these are the features that make Amedeo’s sculptures similar to images of ancient Egyptians.

– From childhood, suffering from tuberculosis, Modigliani left sculpture classes after 1914. However, in the paintings, he retained the same stylized splendor and unusual geometric rhythms that characterize his stone sculptures.

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1884

1897

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1909

1911

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1920

The birth of the artist

Amedeo Clemente Modigliani was born into a Sephardic Jewish family; was the youngest of four children. His mother, Eugenia Garsen, a native of Marseille, was highly educated, romantic by nature and had a great influence on the formation of her son’s personality.

Miraculously survived, recovering from typhus

Miraculously survived, recovering from typhus that was almost incurable at that time. The mother of the future master kept a diary, which later became a valuable document for Amedeo’s biographers. She heard the raving of her febrile son about painters. The woman allowed her son to leave the regular school and take painting and drawing lessons from Guglielmo Michele at the Livorno art school oriented at Impressionism.

Amedeo studied at the studio of Gino Romiti

Amedeo also studied at the studio of Gino Romiti, studying nude painting. He became ill with tuberculosis and spent about a year with his mother in Naples, Rome and on Capri.

Studied at the School of Fine Arts as a student of Giovanni Fattori

At the invitation of his faithful friend Oscar Gigli, he went to Florence, studied at the School of Fine Arts as a student of Giovanni Fattori. Got acquainted with Symbolism. Then he studied at the Istituto di Belle Arti di Venezia, continuing to study the works of old masters. He got to know works of French Impressionists and sculptures by Rodin at the Venice Biennale of 1903 and 1905. In Venice, Amedeo took part in seances and became addicted to hashish.

He began to live and work in Paris

He began to live and work in Paris, spending the first few months in museums (many times visited the halls of the Louvre), churches and galleries. He led a bohemian lifestyle, despite his poor health and poverty. He met artists L. Meidner, M. Utrillo and H. Sutin, whose portraits he later often painted.

Studied at the Academy of Colarossi

Studied at the Academy of Colarossi; at the insistence of his friend and patron P. Alexander, he exhibited his works at the Autumn Salon and Salon of Independents (five paintings, including The Jewess). Not related to contemporary Cubism, they did not get the attention of the viewers. With his nude style experiences, he visited the elderly master of Impressionism O. Renoir.

He began to devote all his time to the creation of sculptures

At the insistence of C. Brancusi, he began to devote all his time to the creation of sculptures, giving preference, as in painting, to human nature. He became interested in African art, which was popular at that time in France.

First exhibited his stone sculptures

First exhibited his stone sculptures at the studio of the Portuguese artist Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. In 1910-1911, he had an affair with A. Akhmatova, a Russian poetess, whose features, according to experts, are visible in several sculptures.

He made friends with sculptor Lipchitz

From the Autumn Salon, where seven exhibits were shown, several were sold. Critics and the public loved his works. He made friends with sculptor Lipchitz.

He worked on portraits of contemporary artists

Leaving the sculpture for health reasons (stone dust harmed his weak lungs, coughing interfered with the accuracy of his movements), he worked on portraits of contemporary artists – D. Rivera, P. Picasso, Lipschitz, H. Soutine and others. He repeatedly painted pictures of English art journalist and lover Beatrice Hastings.

Married Jeanne Hebuterne

Married Jeanne Hebuterne, a 19-year-old student of Clarosi Academy, who posed for her civil husband more than 20 times (their daughter Jeanne was born in 1918). Amedeo’s only solo exhibition was organized but practically did not take place; it included female nudes commissioned by L. Zborowski, the patron of the artist. At the request of the police from the site opposite the B. Weil Gallery, the exhibition was removed almost immediately after its opening.

He lived in Nice and Cannes

He lived in Nice and Cannes for more than one year. He used the themes of the southern nature and beauty of the people of the region, creating emotional paintings “Southern Landscape” and “Little Peasant”. His last work was a portrait of the outstanding Greek musician M. Varvoglis. A. Modigliani died of tuberculosis meningitis, was buried without a monument in the Pere Lachaise cemetery (Jewish site). Two days later, Jeanne Hebuterne voluntarily passed away. Ten years later, she was reburied near Amedeo. Their daughter Jeanne was brought up by Amedeo’s sister.