How are you?
Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is
currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani one by one every week.
The 63rd work to introduce for this
week is “Portrait of Leopold Zborowski” in 1916. This work is an expressionist style
portrait and an oil painting on a canvas with the size of 46 x 27 cm, and is
kept in a private collection.
Léopold Zborowski was a Polish
poet, writer and art dealer who was born on March 10, 1889 and died on March
25, 1932. Zborowski, well known as
"Zbo", arrived to Paris in 1913 to study literature. After that,
however, he started to sell rare books, miniatures, paintings and prints in his
apartment for his living.
After being introduced to
Modigliani through his then-neighbor Moïse Kisling, Zborowski becomes
Modigliani's primary art dealer and friend during his final years. He succeeded
Paul Guillaume as Modigliani's art dealer in 1916, and then he organized
Modigliani’s exhibitions and allowed his home as his atelier. In addition, Zborowski provided
Modigliani with painting materials and models, and consistently paid him
regular fees on the condition of creating a specific number of paintings.
However, Zborowski, who had
accumulated some fortune as an art dealer of Modigliani, lost all of his
fortune during the Great Depression of the 1930s and eventually died poor in
Paris of a heart attack in 1932. After Zborowski’s death, his wife Anna (Hanka
Zborowska), was forced to sell his whole collection for a living.
In this work, Modigliani portrays
the model Zborowski as a young man who looks energetic and somewhat romantic as
well. The combed hair and the open collar
of his white clothes also show the passion and freedom without solemnity that
only a young man can have. In addition, the long neck, which
is particularly noticeable in this work, plays a role in enhancing such
appearance.
In contrast to his neat appearance,
his mustache and beard with the halo of bluish gray light that emanates from
behind him also give the impression of Jesus Christ.
There is some controversy about the
timing of the painting, but 1916, when is believed to have been painted, is the
year Zborowski started Modigliani’s art dealer. Modigliani seems to have
considered Zborowski, who is starting to collaborate with him, as his Savior
like Jesus Christ, and as a result, it seems that Modigliani painted Zborowski,
about whom he had a lot of anticipation and hope, as shown in this work.
Thank you.
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