The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 44. Beatrice Hastings in front of a door (1915)

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

Amedeo Modigliani

The 44th work to introduce for this week is “Beatrice Hastings in front of a door”.

This work is a portrait of an expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 81.3 x 46.4 cm, and currently in private collection.

Beatrice Hastings, an English writer and poet, met Modigliani in 1914 by the introduction of the sculptor Ossip Zadkine. Modigliani then lived with her in her house for two years until 1916. She became famous for her peculiar behavior, attire, and avid supporter for the theories of Helena Blavatsky.

Beatrice Hastings

Ossip Zadkine

Helena Blavatsky was a Russian occultist, philosopher, and author, who was born on August 12, 1831 and died on May 8, 1891. She co-founded the Theosophical Society in the United States in 1875. The goal of the Theosophical Society was to become a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, gender, class, and skin color.

Helena Blavatsky

Hastings' influence on Modigliani is divided. Some say she made Modigliani more and more addicted to drug and alcoholism, but it is certain that while she was with Modigliani, she was his muse, who gave him a lot of artistic inspiration.

Modigliani painted some paintings of Hastings. However, the appearances of the paintings are not the same, and her appearances are changing according to the paintings. For this work, she looks like a graceful lady wearing a feathered hat. Looking at the image of the work, she looks like a strong and cool-hearted woman, and her tight mouth shows her stubborn personality. It is also interesting to note that the shapes of her nose and neck are similar and that one of her ears is significantly emphasized compared to the other. The background consists of a plane dominated by straight lines using an object of a door. The background of these straight lines makes her curved face and elongated neck more prominent.

Although Hastings was very bohemian, in this picture, she is a graceful and an elegant lady wearing feathered hat, such as “Madame Pompadour,” one of the paintings that Modigliani painted her. Such appearance of her seems to reflect the situation that most women preferred to wear hats in public places at the time.

Madame Pompadour

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The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 24. Madame Pompadour (1914)

How are you?

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

The 24th work to introduce for this week is “Madame Pompadour (1914)”.

This work is a portrait of an expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 60.6 x 49.5 cm.

In this work, Modigliani left the signature “modigliani” in the lower right side, with the words “Madam/Pompadour/1915” in the center of the left side, which is currently owned by the “Art Institute of Chicago” in Chicago, IL, USA.

‘Jeanne Antoinette Poisson’, Marquise of Pompadour, commonly known as ‘Madame Pompadour’, was born on December 29, 1721 and died on April 15, 1764.

She was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and Louis XV loved her until she died of tuberculosis at the age of 43 in 1764.

This work is a portrait of ‘Beatrice Hastings’, who was Modigliani’s lover at the time, having the feeling of ‘Cubism’, which was presented at the exhibition in November 1916.

After a two-year love like a storm with Modigliani, Beatrice became a lover of a sculptor “Pina” from Milan, who was annoying to Modigliani, and Beatrice and Pina attended the opening of the exhibition.

At the opening of the exhibition, many celebrities including ‘Alphonse Kann’, ‘Jacques Doucet’, ‘Constant Lepoutre’, an art dealer whose portrait Modigliani later painted, and ‘Louis Vauxcelles’, who disliked Cubism but commented “By contrast, I was interested by the new-style of Modigliani”.

Inspired by "sculpture" and clearly influenced by "cubism", this portrait stands out by Modigliani's customary tones, with "three colors" apart from black and white.

In addition to Cubism, it was also influenced by ‘Paul Cezanne’ and ‘African sculpture’.

For the background, the space was organized in a ‘grid pattern’ that differs from Modigliani's usual background treatment.

The distinctive contrast between the 'straight line' of the background grid and the 'curves' used on the model's hat, shoulders and face further highlights the 'contrast effect' between the model and the background, and this work shows a very unique feeling that cannot be felt in Modigliani’s other works.

Also, it is ironic and unique that the French woman, Madame Pompadour, is wearing an English hat.

Then why did Modigliani draw Beatrice with the title of ‘Madame Pompadour’, who was a mistress of Louis XV?

Also, why did Modigliani use an English hat while drawing the French woman, Madame Pompadour?

In 1712, when ‘Louis XV’ was 2 years old, his mother ‘Marie Adélaïde’ died of measles.

Louis XV, who lost his mother at a very young age, yearned for a mother-like woman who can give comfort to him, and because of this desire, many women were near to him.

Among them, ‘Jeanne Antoinette Poisson’, commonly known as ‘Madame Pompadour’, was officially recognized as the king's mistress in 1745 and remained influential until death in 1764.

In 1914, when Modigliani met Beatrice, many friends of him left Paris or were enlisted due to the outbreak of the World War I.

Modigliani, who had been greatly influenced by his mother since childhood, missed his home and especially his mother.

Beatrice Hastings, who met at this situation, was five years older than Modigliani, and although their two years of love in the future were like a storm, in the early days of meeting her, it seems that Modigliani felt warmth like a mother from Beatrice, who was older than him.

Moreover, since she was an artist of literature that influenced Modigliani since childhood, due to the influence by his mother and his mother's family, Beatrice approached Modigliani as a mother-like literary artist.

Just as Louis XV and ‘Poisson’, commonly known as ‘Madame Pompadour’, were lovers of art, Modigliani and Beatrice were artists, who love art.

Modigliani, who had a lot of interest and knowledge in literature since childhood, recalled “Beatrice”, who was Dante's lover and the character of his work, “The Divine Comedy”, one of Modigliani's favorite literary works, when he met Beatrice.

Therefore, the reason why Modigliani selected ‘Madame Pompadour’ as the title of this work seems that when Modigliani was considering this work, he seems to have been trying to select a woman, who was historically famous and related to art, such as Beatrice, who was Dante's lover and the character of his work, as the subject of his work.

Moreover, since he was living in Paris, France at the time, it seems that Modigliani was searching for a woman who was historically famous, related to art and especially was born in Paris as the subject of his work.

In such point of view, Modigliani seems to select ‘Poisson’, known as ‘Madame Pompadour’ as the theme of his work because she is a historically well-known woman who loved art and lived in Paris.

In summary, in that Modigliani missed his mother so much, Beatrice whom he met was an artist whose name is the same as the historically famous woman, who was a lover of Dante and the main character of his work, and Modigliani and Beatrice lived in Paris, France, Modigliani seems to have related him with Louis XV as Beatrice with Madame Pompadour.

The reason why Madame Pompadour, who was born in Paris, France, is wearing an English hat, seems to suggest that although the theme of the work reflected the French woman, Madame Pompadour, the hometown of Beatrice, who was the actual model, was England.

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