How are you?
Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is
currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani.
The 90th work to introduce for this
week is “The Zouave” in 1918.
This work is an expressionist style
portrait and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 63 x 48 cm and possessed
in private collection.
The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army that served from 1830 to 1962 in then-French-controlled North Africa. Originally, the zouaves were a regiment of Berber volunteers from the Zwawa group of tribes in Algeria, who had gained a reputation for fighting for local rulers under the Ottoman Empire, and the French word zouave is derived from the name of the Zwawa Berber.
 |
| French zouave (c. 1870) |
The regiment
was to consist of Zwawa Berbers, French non-commissioned officers and French
officers, and the distinctive uniform of the zouave unit originated in North
Africa. Initially recruited only from the Berber tribes, the zouave corps was
formed by the French over time, but the North African uniform was retained.
 |
| Zouaves at the Battle of Zaatcha during the Conquest of Algeria |
This work was painted by Modigliani in Nice in 1918, and it is evident that the model for this painting was a soldier of the zouave who was on vacation there at the time. He is wearing the mustard-colored uniform and calotte worn by African Army soldiers, and on the calotte there are the crescent moon and the figure three representing his regiment. The exact identity of the model, other than being a zouave soldier, is unknown, but the model offers Modigliani an opportunity for his colorist study.
Given that the model is wearing a
thick uniform, this painting appears to have been painted in winter, and the
model's soft face with no particular personality feels very different from the
distinctly defined expressions of the models in Modigliani’s other portraits.
In addition, the military
decoration on the chest of the model serves to soften the monotony of the
mustard-colored uniform.
Besides Modigliani, Vincent van Gogh also painted soldiers in zouave uniform.
 |
| Portrait of Milliet, Second Lieutnant of the Zouaves, Vincent van Gogh (1888) |
 |
| Zouave, Vincent van Gogh (1888) |
Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment