Monday, May 18, 2020

The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 46. Portrait of Henri Laurens (1915)


How are you?

Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani one by one every week.

The 46th work to introduce for this week is “Portrait of Henri Laurens” in 1915This work is a portrait of an expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 55 x 46.5 cm, and currently in private collection.

Henri Laurens is a French sculptor and illustrator who was born on February 18, 1885, and died on May 5, 1954. 

Henri Laurens

Multi-talented, Laurens entered the School of Industrial Design in 1899, studied drawing and architecture, and began to carve ornamental stone sculpture on new buildings. The sculptures he created at the time reflected the influence of Auguste Rodin.

Auguste Rodin

Laurens, who moved to Montmartre in 1911, met his neighbor, Georges Braque, who introduced him to Cubism, and the two shared a lifetime friendship. He participated for the first time in the Salon des Indépendants in Paris in 1913 and was exempted from conscription for World War I in 1914 because of the previously amputated leg by osteo-tuberculosis. 

Georges Braque

In 1915, Laurens began to sculpt in the Cubist style, met Amedeo Modigliani, and in the same year he became a friend of Pierre Reverdy, and illustrated his book, “Poèmes en prose”In 1917, Laurens held a solo exhibition in Paris at the “Galerie l'Effort Moderne”, run by French art historian Léonce Rosenberg, and in the 1920s he executed various architectural projects and stage decoration designs.

Head of a Young Girl, Henri Laurens (1920)

In 1938, he participated in exhibitions held in European cities, including Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, along with Braque and Picasso, and at the São Paulo Bienal in 1953, he received the Prize of the IV Centenary of São Paulo

On May 5, 1954, Laurens died in Paris, after collapsing while out on an evening walk and was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse there.

Henri Laurens' grave

Looking at the work I am introducing today, it seems that the glowing object next to the model's head was intentionally drawn by Modigliani to suggest that the model, Henri Laurens, is a sculptor.

In this work, Modigliani shows reminisce for his period as a sculptor and the influence from Cubism. However, although he was influenced by Cubism, it is quite different from the paintings of Cubist artists such as Picasso, Braque and Gris, who decomposed their models into geometrical pieces and drew them so that they could hardly recognize the shape of the model.

Besides, even though Modigliani was influenced by Cubism, this work also shows his stubborn character and style, trying to express the personality of his model in his work.
It seems that the red color overlaid on the model's face reflects the multi-talented and passionate personality of Henri Laurens.

Thank you.





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