ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 31. Juan Gris, ACJ Art Academy

Name: Juan Gris

Born: 23 March 1887, Madrid, Spain

Died: 11 May 1927, Paris, France

Active Years: 1911 - 1927

Nationality: Spanish

Art Movement: Cubism

Field: Painting, drawing

Influenced on: Karl Otto Gotz, Balcomb Greene, Fernando García Ponce

Friends/Co-workers: Amedeo Modigliani, Alice Bailly

José Victoriano González-Pérez, better known as Juan Gris, was a Spanish painter who was born on March 23, 1887, and died on May 11, 1927. He worked most of his life in France and his work is closely related to Cubism, a genre of art that was innovative at the time.

Gris was born in Madrid and studied engineering at the Madrid School of Arts and Sciences. From 1902 to 1904, he contributed drawings to local periodicals there. From 1904 to 1905, Gris studied painting with the academic artist José Moreno Carbonero and began using his name as Juan Gris in 1905.

In 1906, Gris moved to Paris, and became friends with the poets Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, and artists Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger and Jean Metzinger. In Paris, Gris followed the lead of Metzinger and another friend and colleague Pablo Picasso.

In 1911, after giving up working of a satirical cartoonist, Gris began to paint seriously and developed a personal Cubist style at this time. He exhibited his work for the first time at the 1912 Salon des Indépendants with a painting entitled “Hommage à Pablo Picasso.”

At first, Gris painted in the style of Analytical Cubism, a term he later coined, but after 1913 he began to switch to Synthetic Cubism. Unlike Picasso and Braque, whose Cubist works were practically monochromatic, Gris painted in bright and harmonious colors in the way of his friend Matisse. His work, which favored clarity and order, influenced the Purist style of Amédée Ozenfant and Charles Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier), and made Gris an important example of the postwar  "return to order" movement.

Gris died of kidney failure at the age of 40 in Boulogne-sur-Seine, Paris on 11 May 1927.

FAMOUS WORKS

ALL WORKS LIST (Juan Gris)

RELATED ARTISTS

Amedeo Modigliani

ALL ARTISTS LIST

Currently, “J art”, an internet mall of “Art Collage JANG” is selling artprints of worldwide famous artists.

In relation with this sale, I will introduce one by one every week, whose artprints are on the sale list, by following categories.

1. Artist’s Bio: Introduce brief bio of selected artist

2. Famous Works: Move to the corresponding artprints in J art by clicking

3. All Works List: Move to all works of selected artist in J art by clicking

4. Related Artists: Move to the works of the artists in J art, who are related to the selected artist.

5. All Artists List: Move to the list of all artists selling artprints in J art

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Blog (Korean)

Naver TV

Naver Post

Thank you.

The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 47. Portrait of Juan Gris (1915)

How are you?

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

The 47th work to introduce for this week is “Portrait of Juan Gris” in 1915.

This work is a portrait of an expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 54.9 x 38.1 cm, and currently possessed by Metropolitan Art Museum, New York, USA.

José Victoriano González-Pérez, better known as Juan Gris, was a Spanish painter who was born on March 23, 1887, and died on May 11, 1927. He worked most of his life in France and his work is closely related to Cubism, a genre of art that was innovative at the time.

Juan Gris

Gris was born in Madrid and studied engineering at the Madrid School of Arts and Sciences. From 1902 to 1904, he contributed drawings to local periodicals there. From 1904 to 1905, Gris studied painting with the academic artist José Moreno Carbonero and began using his name as Juan Gris in 1905.

Entry of Roger de Flor in Constantinople,  José Moreno Carbonero (1888)

In 1906, Gris moved to Paris, and became friends with the poets Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, and artists Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger and Jean Metzinger. In Paris, Gris followed the lead of Metzinger and another friend and colleague Pablo Picasso.

In 1909, his first wife, Lucie Belin, gave birth to Georges Gonzalez-Gris, who was their only child, and the three lived at the Bateau-Lavoir in Paris from 1909 to 1911. In 1912, Gris met Charlotte Augusta Fernande Herpin, also known as Josette, who became Juan Gris’ second companion and unofficial wife.

In 1911, after giving up working of a satirical cartoonist, Gris began to paint seriously and developed a personal Cubist style at this time. He exhibited his work for the first time at the 1912 Salon des Indépendants with a painting entitled “Hommage à Pablo Picasso.”

Hommage à Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris (1912)

At first, Gris painted in the style of Analytical Cubism, a term he later coined, but after 1913 he began to switch to Synthetic Cubism. Unlike Picasso and Braque, whose Cubist works were practically monochromatic, Gris painted in bright and harmonious colors in the way of his friend Matisse. His work, which favored clarity and order, influenced the Purist style of Amédée Ozenfant and Charles Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier), and made Gris an important example of the postwar "return to order" movement.

Nature morte (Still Life), Amédée Ozenfant (1920-21)

In 1915, Modigliani, a friend of Gris, painted his portrait, and in 1924 Gris designed ballet sets and costumes for Sergei Diaghilev and his famous Ballets Russes.

Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes

Gris died of kidney failure at the age of 40 in Boulogne-sur-Seine, Paris on 11 May 1927.

In today's work, the model's dark eyebrows and pupils make Gris’ face more vivid and clear. This is an expression of the image of his appearance, but Modigliani, who had a genius talent for expressing the model's character in his paintings, seems to paint his face in a clear style with a strong feeling to suggest the Gris’ character who preferred clarity and order.

In addition, the traces of Cloisonnisme, drawing the boundary of the face and the neck dark and clearly, make his appearance even darker. The Gris’ neck also feels like a cylinder on the body, which can be seen as the influence of Paul Cézanne, who inspired Modigliani.

Thank you.

Woman with Mandolin, after Corot, Juan Gris (1916)

Lecture Program List

YouTube

Korean Blog

Naver TV

Naver Post

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 1. AMEDEO MODIGLIANI

Name: Amedeo Modigliani
Born: 12 July 1884, Livorno, Italy
Died: 24 January 1920, Paris, France
Country: Italy
Art Movement: Expressionism
Genre: Nudes, Portraits
Field: Painting, Sculpture
Active Years: 1898-1920
Influenced by: Paul Cezanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Friends/Colleagues: Constantin Brancusi, Diego Rivera, Chaim Soutine, Moise Kisling, Jacques Lipchitz, Max Jacob, Pablo Picasso, Jacob Epstein, Juan Gris, Gino Severini, Maurice Utrillo, Tsuguharu Foujita
Family: Jeanne Hébuterne

Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor with a Jewish descent, who worked most of his life in France.  His painting style is characterized by elongated faces, necks and figures. He was not recognized at the time of his life but became famous after his death. 

Modigliani spent his time for studying Ancient and Renaissance arts during his youth in Italy. In 1906, he moved to Paris, where he met many artists including Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi.

In 1912, Modigliani exhibited his sculptures with Cubists in the Salon d'Automne. From 1909 to 1914, he devoted himself to sculpture. His main subjects were portraits and full body of figures in both paintings and sculptures.

He died at age 35 from tuberculosis meningitis in Paris.

FAMOUS WORKS

              

 
              
    
ALL WORKS LIST

RELATED ARTISTS

             

      Chaim Soutine                       Juan Gris         

ALL ARTISTS LIST

Currently, “J art”, an internet mall of “Art Collage JANG” is selling art prints of worldwide famous artists (Move to the sites by one click).

In relation with this sale, I will introduce one by one every week, whose art prints are on the sale list, by following categories.

1. Artist’s Bio: Introduce brief bio of selected artist
2. Famous Works: Move to the corresponding art print in J art
3. All Works List: Move to all works of selected artist in J art
4. Related Artists: Move to the works of the artists in J art, who are related to the selected artist
5. All Artists List: Move to the list of all artists selling art prints in J art 

Blog (Korean)

Thank you.