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From ArtInternationalWholesale.com Amedeo Modigliani ModiglianiModigliani, a painter and sculptor born on July 2nd 1884 in Livano, Italy. He was from a wealthy background. Modigliani's father was a banker until his career was ruined and he was forced to work as a wood and coal merchant. The family were Sephardic Jews. Sadly, Amedeo lost his father while still a young boy. Modigliani's health was very delicate, he had inherited weak lungs from his family. He had close calls with pneumonia while he was growing up. His worried mother and sisters spent many years caring for him. Modigliani developed tuberculosis and battled with it for the rest of his life. His incredible talent was first noticed by his mother. She encouraged him and sent him to study at art academies in Florence and Venice. In 1902, when he was 17 years old, he excitedly left for Venice to begin his art studies. He would study at the Reale Istituto Di Belle Art. Early in 1906 Modigliani went to Paris where he settled in Montmatre. He attended the Académie Colarossi. Modigliani's early work was influenced by many great artists, such as Paul Cézanna and Paul Gaugain. In the fall of 1907 Modigliani met his first patron, Dr. Paul Alexandre. Dr. Paul Alexandre purchased works from him before World War I. Modigliani exhibited his work in 1907 and 1912 at the Salon D'Automne and then in the Salon Des Independants in 1908, 1910 and 1911. From 1909 to 1914 Modigliani concentrated on sculpture, but he also drew and painted to a certain extent. In march 1917 he met Jeanne Hébuterne who became his companion and model. They became parents of two children. When Jeanne was pregnant with their 3rd child, Modigliani died on the 24th January 1920 at the age of 35 from tuberculosis and excesses of drink and drugs. This was driven by his poverty and bitterly ashamed of it. Two days after his funeral, Jeanne threw herself down from a 5th floor window and died together with her unborn child. “You are not alive unless you know you are living” - Quote found written on the wall of one of Modigliani's studios.
Fine example of Modigliani's figure paintings are a number of his Reclining Nude, of which he has made a large number.They are all elegant, arresting arrangements of curved lines and planes as well as a striking idealization of feminine sexuality.Today his graceful portraits and his lush nudes at one evoke his name, but during his brief career few apart from his fellow artists were aware of his gifts. In 1915 he devoted himself entirely from sculpting to painting, producing some of his best work.
Modigliani had a strong interest in African Masks, this remains evident in his paintings. Especially in the treatment of the sitters' faces: flat and mask like with almond eyes, twisted noses, pursed mouths and elongated necks, almost classical in effect. Despite their extreme economy of composition and neutral backgrounds, the portraits convey a sharp sense of the sitters' personality. Although of the up most simplicity in contour, his paintings reveal considerable psychological insight and a curious sense of pathos. Many of Modigliani's work can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. © Copyright by ArtInternationalWholesale.com |
