Author, Lecturer, Broadcaster & Cultural Arts Expert;
President of Art Collage JANG/J Music/J Art/J Books & Media.
Author of over 40 books published on Amazon, including The Crimson Horror series and The Great and Immortal Painters’ Stories series.
Dedicated to sharing insights into art, culture, literature, and creative expression through writing, lectures, media, and content creation.
Influenced
on: Edvard Munch, Amedeo Modigliani, J. C.
Leyendecker
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French
painter, printmaker, caricaturist, and illustrator, whose immersion in the
colorful and theatrical life of Paris in the late 19th century allowed him to
produce a collection of enticing, elegant, and provocative images of the
modern, sometimes decadent, affairs of those times. Toulouse-Lautrec is among
the best-known painters of the Post-Impressionist period, with Paul Cézanne,
Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.
Influenced by: Gustave Courbet, El Greco,
Charles-Francois Daubigny, Nicolas Poussin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Influenced on: Pablo Picasso, Amedeo
Modigliani, Jackson Pollock, Fernand Leger, Chaim Soutine, Piet Mondrian,
Francis Bacon, Man Ray, Vilhelm Lundstrom, Paul Gauguin, Wassily Kandinsky,
Michel Kikoine, Giorgio Morandi, Robert Falk, Harry Phelan Gibb, Marjorie Acker
Phillips, Thomas Hart Benton
Friends/Colleagues: Paul Gauguin
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and
Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition
from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically
different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne's repetitive, exploratory
brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. Cézanne is
said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the
early 20th century's new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism. Both Matisse and
Picasso are said to have remarked that "Cézanne is the father of us
all".
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.
Field:Painting Influenced by: Gustave Courbet, Camille Pissarro, Edouard Manet, Eugene Delacroix, Camille Corot, Edgar Degas, Francois Boucher, Raphael, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Antoine Watteau, Francisco Goya
Influenced on: Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt,
Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso
Teachers: Charles Gleyre
Friends/Colleagues: Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet, Frederic
Bazille, Camille Pissarro Pierre Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau." He was the father of actor Pierre Renoir (1885–1952), filmmaker Jean Renoir (1894–1979) and ceramic artist Claude Renoir (1901–1969). He was the grandfather of the filmmaker Claude Renoir (1913–1993), son of Pierre.
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
