Amedeo Modigliani, was born on July 12, 1884 in Italy but worked mainly in france, is one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. Right from his childhood, Modigliani suffered from various health problems such as pleurisy (1895) and typhoid (1898). In 1898, considering his feeble physical health, he was dropped out of regular school to join the Art Academy in Livorno. One year later, he again took ill with pleurisy and got infected with tuberculosis, which eventually claimed his life.
In 1906, Modigliani settled in Paris, where he encountered the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Georges Rouault, and Pablo Picasso (in his "blue period") and assimilated their influence, as in
The Jewess (1908; private collection, Paris).
The strong influence of Paul Cezanne’s paintings is clearly evident, both in Modigliani’s deliberate distortion of the figure and the free use of large, flat areas of color.
His friendship with Constantin Brancusi kindled Modigliani’s interest in sculpture, in which he would continue his very personal idiom, distinguished by strong linear rhythms, simple elongated forms, and verticality. Head (1912; Guggenheim Museum, New York City) and Caryatid (1914; Museum of Modern Art, New York City) exemplify his sculptural work, which consists mainly of heads and, less often, of full figures.
After 1915, Modigliani devoted himself entirely to painting, producing some of his best work. His interest in African masks and sculpture remains evident, especially in the treatment of the sitters’ faces: flat and masklike, with almond eyes, twisted noses, pursed mouths, and elongated necks. Despite their extreme economy of composition and neutral backgrounds, the portraits convey a sharp sense of the sitter’s personality, as in
Moise Kisling (1915; private collection, Milan).
A fine example of Modigliani’s figure paintings is a reclining
Nude (1917; Guggenheim Museum),
an elegant, arresting arrangement of curved lines and planes as well as a striking idealization of feminine sexuality.
The following are some of the most famous Amedeo Modigliani paintings:
Sleeping Nude with Arms Open
Jeanne Hébuterne in Red Shawl
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Portrait of Maude Abrantes
Head of a Woman with a Hat
Portrait of Juan Gris
Amedeo Modigliani Quotes:
Happiness is an angel with a serious face.
I am now rich in fruitful ideas and I must produce my work.
Rome is not outside me, but inside me.. Her feverish sweetness, her tragic countryside, her own beauty and harmony, all these are mine, for my thought and my work.
What I am seeking is not the real and not the unreal but rather the unconscious, the mystery of the instinctive in the human race.
Today, the popularity of oil painting reproductions and prints of Amedeo Modigliani works shows his success. Modigliani paintings are loved by thoudsands of art lovers.