Amedeo Modigliani
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Transcript of Amedeo Modigliani
Family & Early Life● Born into a Jewish family in Livorno,
Italy● His family was persecuted for their
religion, grandmother came to Italy for religious freedom
● Mother, Eugenie, was fluent in many languages, founded a talmudic study school
● Father, Flaminio was a businessman and engineer
“He behaves like a spoiled child, but he does not lack intelligence. We shall have to wait and see what is inside his chrysalis. Perhaps an artist?”
-Eugenie Garsin
Modigliani’s birthplace, Livorno, Italy
Art School● At 14, Modigliani had typhoid
fever and raved that he wanted to see the paintings in Palazzo Pitti and Uffizi in Florence.
● When he was well, his mother took him to Florence, and enrolled him with the best painting master in Livorno, Guglielmo Micheli.
● He worked in Micheli’s Art school from 1898 to 1900.
● He was heavily influenced by artwork of the Renaissance.
● 1902 - studied in Florence at the Academia di Belle Arti
The Tuscan Road, 1899
The Bearded Man, 1905
Literary Influences● He read constantly, and was
most interested in philosophical works of Nietzche, Baudelaire, Carducci, and Comte de Lautreamont.
● He developed the belief that the only route to true creativity was through defiance and disorder.
● He was most interested with figure drawing at this time.
● He embraced the bohemian lifestyle and radical philosophies.
Paris
● In 1906, Modigliani moved to Paris, the center of the Avante-Garde movement.
● At the same time, Gino Severini and Juan Gris had also moved to Paris.
● He settled in Le Bateau-Lavoire, a commune for poor artists in Montmartre, and rented a studio in Rue Caulaincourt.
● Modigliani decorated his studio with heavy drapes and Renaissance reproduction paintings and was seen to wear brown corduroys, a scarlet scarf, and a large black hat.
Head of Woman with a Hat, 1907
Working in Paris● Modigliani worked at a fast pace,
making as many as 100 drawings a day.
● He was influenced by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Cezanne.
● His parisian friends called him Modi (which translates to “cursed”)
● He had many relationships with women, but ultimately fell in love with Jeanne Hebuterne, an art student.
● Her parents did not approve of Modigliani because he was Jewish.
Paul Cezanne, Peasant, 1891
Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril, 1892
Late Portraits
Lunia Czeckowska with her left hand on her cheek, 1918
Pierre Edouard Baranowski, 1918
Modigliani’s Death
● Modigliani died on January 24, 1920 of tubercular meningitis (then incurable)
● He died penniless, having had only one solo exhibition in his life.
● He gave his artwork away in exchange for meals in restaurants.
● Since his death, nine novels, a play, a documentary, and three feature films have been devoted to his life.
Modigliani’s Style
● Elongated neck and face● Curving, rounded poses● Flattened faces, with
eyebrows that slope to meet the edges of the nose.
● Eyes that are filled with color, no iris or pupil definition
● Sometimes heavily outlined, sometimes delicately shaded
● Simple backgrounds, marks from paintbrush are visible
Portrait of Man with Hat, 1915
Portrait of a Woman in a Black Tie, 1917
Head of a Girl, 1918
Making Elongated Self-Portraits
Examples from: Deep Space Sparkle
Today’s Studio Session● Thumbnail sketches are small, simple drawings that fill up a page with ideas. They are
not complete or very detailed! This is like a visual brainstorm.
● Sketch at least 5 different possibilities for your self-portrait in your sketchbook. Add hats and other accessories, practice using different facial expressions, and consider adding an arm or hand gesture.
● Next week, we will use your favorite sketch as the basis for a large oil-pastel drawing.