ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT MODIGLIANI - THE INNER EYE
In reference to the title of this chapter, I certainly did see Modigliani differently. To begin with, I had been to an extremely interesting conference on this exhibition in Villeneuve d’Ascq at the LAM and had not really intended to make the effort to go. The conference was so compelling, I booked at once.
We all recognize Modigliani. (1884-1920) Long filiform creatures who seem to gaze at us with slit eyes. Often the necks are so long they look out of place and in general, his portraits are not what l call very complimentary. Then of course, Picasso’s aren’t either! Until hearing the conference and then at the exhibition itself, I had always found Modigliani a little repetitive. I really could not have been so wrong.
When l arrived at the museum (it’s about an hour and a half from Paris and not the nicest building I have seen)
this is what I saw. This was the end of the line which had wended it's way down to the entrance. If I hadn’t had my card, I would not have got in at all.
And once inside, I had to fight for space...
The museum, LaM (Lille Modern Art museum) the only one in Europe to display modern, contemporary and outsider art under the same roof, holds several Modigliani pieces including a rare marble sculpture, and had obtained numerous loans for the exhibition. Modigliani was one of the few artists of his generation to achieve distinction in three different media of painting, drawing and sculpture. Many of his works were lost or destroyed by the artist himself.
Roger Dutilleul, founder of the modern art collection at the LaM was a passionate collector who met Modigliani in 1918.
The exhibition, an homage to that encounter, offers a variety of approaches from which to discover his work. You can experience the artist’s dialogue with ancient and non-Western sculpture, as well as explore portraiture as a central dimension of Modigliani’s work. Also it gives an insight into the close relationship between the artist and Roger Dutilleul, who became one of the most important Modigliani collectors. The exhibition situates the artist in the context of his time and displays his work alongside some of his contemporaries, such as Constantin Brancusi, Moïse Kisling, Jacques Lipchitz, Pablo Picasso and Chaim Soutine.
But who was he really? Italian, he came to live in France with his mother when he was 22. Even by then the doctors, (one of whom became a very close friend and collector of his work, Dr Paul Alexandre) diagnosed Modigliani with tuberculosis when he was very young. Although l imagine him as a timid person. He downed alcohol at apparently an alarming rate not to mention his consumption of drugs, hashish… He was a very handsome young man too.
Outlandish in his behavior, certainly a ladies man, he was also the life of the party in both Montparnasse and Pigalle. His friends called him « Modi ». His family nick-names was « Dedo » He became famous well after he died. I often wonder if his lack of « fame » while he was alive was due to an« exclusiveness ». People couldn't place him within a system. He followed no trends. When the Fauves were there in 1907, no way. The Cubist period he ignored (although l think many of his sculptures could be called cubes) and continued along his chosen path. Firstly it was to be a sculpter (Brancussi’s influence is obvious) but because of the dust which badly effected his health, he had to abandon this medium. 1914.
So when many artists were already working in abstract art, Modi became a portrait painter. Certainly a very modern approach. I think it was Max Jacob who asked him why he had only painted his portrait with one eye. « You look out with one and the other is your « inner eye » That I guess is why the exhibition is called « The Inner Eye »
His sketching is marvelous in my book. Unfortunately the lighting was so bad that there is a lot of reflection. He looks as if he has just « dashed off » a portrait in seconds. It looks so easy, but….
There is something else that came to light too during this exhibition. His portraits seem androgynous. I hadn’t thought about that before. When the paintings are side by side, it really is quite obvious. They are all seated in the same fashion. Same kind of dress. Short hair. Timeless .
There were nudes of course
And a picture of Mother and Child. Very rare indeed as Modi rarely painted more than one person at a time.
The story goes that when he died at 35, his companion Jeanne Hébuterne,who was pregnant and very much so, committed suicide the following day.
During his life, his paintings sold relatively well but certainly he wasn’t a rich artist of that period. One of his paintings (« Nude sitting on a couch ») was bought for 9 million $ in 1987: sold at more than 16 million in 1999 and in 2010 blithely went to 68 million. A record….Modi « The Prince of Montparnasse » must have been floating in his ashes!
A good two hours later, I wandered through the permanent exhibition then
had a salad,
went past the masses of people,
strolled in the woods
and then took the train back to Paris. A lovely day.
When l arrived at the museum (it’s about an hour and a half from Paris and not the nicest building I have seen)
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| A Picasso sculpture in the gardens.... |
this is what I saw. This was the end of the line which had wended it's way down to the entrance. If I hadn’t had my card, I would not have got in at all.
And once inside, I had to fight for space...
The museum, LaM (Lille Modern Art museum) the only one in Europe to display modern, contemporary and outsider art under the same roof, holds several Modigliani pieces including a rare marble sculpture, and had obtained numerous loans for the exhibition. Modigliani was one of the few artists of his generation to achieve distinction in three different media of painting, drawing and sculpture. Many of his works were lost or destroyed by the artist himself.
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| Roger Dutilleul -1919 |
The exhibition, an homage to that encounter, offers a variety of approaches from which to discover his work. You can experience the artist’s dialogue with ancient and non-Western sculpture, as well as explore portraiture as a central dimension of Modigliani’s work. Also it gives an insight into the close relationship between the artist and Roger Dutilleul, who became one of the most important Modigliani collectors. The exhibition situates the artist in the context of his time and displays his work alongside some of his contemporaries, such as Constantin Brancusi, Moïse Kisling, Jacques Lipchitz, Pablo Picasso and Chaim Soutine.
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| Chaim Soutine -Portrait of a Young Man - 1923-24 |
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| Red Head - 1915 |
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| One of his friend's paintings.... |
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| Chaim Soutine - 1915 |
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| By Moise Kisling - Pierre Camo, Poet, 1913 |
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| By Chaim Soutine, Oscar Miestchaninoff, - 1923-24 |
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| Pinchus Krémègne, 1916 |
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| By Moïse Kisling, Jean Cocteau in his atelier - 1916 |
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| Manuel Humbert, 1916 |
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| By Moïse Kisling, Portrait of Miezystaw Zborowski - 1919 |
But who was he really? Italian, he came to live in France with his mother when he was 22. Even by then the doctors, (one of whom became a very close friend and collector of his work, Dr Paul Alexandre) diagnosed Modigliani with tuberculosis when he was very young. Although l imagine him as a timid person. He downed alcohol at apparently an alarming rate not to mention his consumption of drugs, hashish… He was a very handsome young man too.
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| Modigliani |
Outlandish in his behavior, certainly a ladies man, he was also the life of the party in both Montparnasse and Pigalle. His friends called him « Modi ». His family nick-names was « Dedo » He became famous well after he died. I often wonder if his lack of « fame » while he was alive was due to an« exclusiveness ». People couldn't place him within a system. He followed no trends. When the Fauves were there in 1907, no way. The Cubist period he ignored (although l think many of his sculptures could be called cubes) and continued along his chosen path. Firstly it was to be a sculpter (Brancussi’s influence is obvious) but because of the dust which badly effected his health, he had to abandon this medium. 1914.
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| Statuette, female head Between 2700-2300 BC |
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| Face front on with earirngs and necklace - 1914 |
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| Women's head - 1912 |
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| Caryatid - 1911 |
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| Study for a sculpture - 1912 |
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| Head - face on 1910-11 |
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| Head - 1913 |
So when many artists were already working in abstract art, Modi became a portrait painter. Certainly a very modern approach. I think it was Max Jacob who asked him why he had only painted his portrait with one eye. « You look out with one and the other is your « inner eye » That I guess is why the exhibition is called « The Inner Eye »
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| Portrait of the artist as Pierrot - 1915 |
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| Woman with velvet ribbon - 1915 |
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| Raimondo - 1915 |
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| Russet colour girl - 1915 |
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| Paul Guillaume - 1915 |
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| Zborowski with walking stick - 1916 |
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| By Béla Czobel - Portrait of Man - 1916 |
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| Leopold Survage (artist) - 1918 |
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| Gaston Modot (actor) 1918 |
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| Bust of a young woman - 1908 |
His sketching is marvelous in my book. Unfortunately the lighting was so bad that there is a lot of reflection. He looks as if he has just « dashed off » a portrait in seconds. It looks so easy, but….
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| Sketch of nude woman in movement 1908-09 |
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| Face of caryatid - 1914 or before |
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| Profile left with chignon and earring - 1914 |
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| Face with earrings and necklace- 1914 |
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| Zadkine ( around 1918) |
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| Picasso - 1914-15 |
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| Max Jacob - 1915 (sketch with one eye). |
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| Frank Burty Haviland - 1914 |
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| Naked Woman on left hand side - 1908 |
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| Profil of bust with right hand on forhead - 1908 |
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| Monumental Cariatyd - 1913 |
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| Teresa - 1915 (most unusual) |
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| Picasso's study of standing nude - 1908 |
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| Actress with naked arms, revealed breasts, long dress ...1908 |
There is something else that came to light too during this exhibition. His portraits seem androgynous. I hadn’t thought about that before. When the paintings are side by side, it really is quite obvious. They are all seated in the same fashion. Same kind of dress. Short hair. Timeless .
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| Young girl with blue eyes - 1918 |
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| Young girl sitting - 1918 |
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| The Borgignonne - 1918 |
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| Woman's portrait - 1918 |
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| Woman sitting in blue (?) dress - 1918 |
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| Young Boy |
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| Young girl sitting with loose hair - 1918 |
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| Young lad - 1919 |
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| Nude sitting - 1917 |
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| Portrait of a young mady - 1919 |
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| Nude sitting with shirt - 1917 |
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| Cariatyd - 1913 |
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| Cariatyd 1913-14 |
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| Sketch for Cariatyd 1913-14 |
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| Composition - no date |
And a picture of Mother and Child. Very rare indeed as Modi rarely painted more than one person at a time.
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| Maternity - 1919 |
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| Jeanne Hébuterne |
The story goes that when he died at 35, his companion Jeanne Hébuterne,who was pregnant and very much so, committed suicide the following day.
During his life, his paintings sold relatively well but certainly he wasn’t a rich artist of that period. One of his paintings (« Nude sitting on a couch ») was bought for 9 million $ in 1987: sold at more than 16 million in 1999 and in 2010 blithely went to 68 million. A record….Modi « The Prince of Montparnasse » must have been floating in his ashes!
A good two hours later, I wandered through the permanent exhibition then
had a salad,
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| Jean-Michel Sanejouand "One part and another" - 1990 |
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| Jean-Michel Sanejouand "Tray of sculptures" - 1999 |
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| Jean-Michel Sanejouand - "Space- Painting" - 1985 |
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| Matt Mullican -"Learning From TGhat Person's work" - 2009 |
went past the masses of people,
strolled in the woods
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and then took the train back to Paris. A lovely day.
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