The Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 92. Roger Dutilleul (1919)

 

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Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani.

The 92nd work to introduce for this week is “Roger Dutilleul” in 1919.

This work is an expressionist style portrait and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 100 x 65 cm and possessed in private collection.

Roger Dutilleul, born in Paris on December 19, 1872, and died in Paris on January 22, 1956, was an art collector and a patron of artists.

Roger Dutilleul

He began his collection in 1905 with major art dealers, such as Ambroise Vollard or Léonce Rosenberg. In 1907, he met Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, an art collector who had just opened his own gallery at the time, and became one of his first clients.

Ambroise Vollard

Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler

Dutilleul once remarked, "There is no such thing as abstract or figurative, there is just good painting." It was a fine motto for him, who collected about fifteen Modigliani works and dozens of works by various artists such as Braque, Derain, Vlaminck, Picasso, Matisse, Leger, and Miro. He was a great bourgeois, a refined man and, like Paul Guillaume, a true lover of avant-garde art. 

Georges Braque

Discovering some of Modigliani's works in Paul Guillaume's gallery, he received an offer for his other works from Constant Lepoutre, an art dealer who introduced him to Zborowski, and then purchased all the works of Modigliani that Zborowski possessed. Then, Zborowski suggested Dutilleul for the model of Modigliani. 

Portrait of Paul Guillaume, Amedeo
Modigliani (1915)

Portrait of Constant Lepoutre, Amedeo
Modigliani (1916)

Portrait of Leopold Zborowski, Amedeo
Modigliani (1919)

Modigliani's portrait of Dutilleul shows an aristocratic elegance comparable to that of his first patron, Paul Alexandre, painted in 1909. The portrait of Dutilleul, painted ten years after Modigliani painted Alexandre's portrait, is characterized by the muted color, the very thin painting and the slightly tilted head compared to Alexandre's portrait. 

Portrait of Paul Alexandre, Amedeo
Modigliani (1909)

Also, as a token of his gratitude to his other patron, Dutilleul, Modigliani portrays him in his work as a benevolent and dignified figure. This portrait was painted in three sessions totaling seven and a half hours.

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The Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 85. Young Girl in Beret (1918)

 

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Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani.

The 85th work to introduce for this week is “Young Girl in Beret” in 1918.

This work is an expressionist style portrait and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 65.4 x 46.3 cm.

This work was firstly owned by Modigliani's friend and art dealer Leopold Zborowski, and then by Roger Dutilleul, and then by the Netter collection in Paris until 2007. It is currently in private collection by the auction at Christie’s, London on February 6, 2007.

Portrait of Leopold Zborowski, Amedeo
Modigliani (1917)

Roger Dutilleul, Amedeo Modigliani (1919)

It is a portrait of a girl wearing a black beret. Another work of the same model as this work is owned by the Nagoya City Art Museum in Nagoya, Japan (hereinafter “Nagoya Portrait”).

Girl with Pigtails, Amedeo Modigliani,
Nagoya City Art Museum (1918)

Nagoya City Art Museum

Considering the characteristics of Modigliani's painting, which doesn't pay much attention to the background so that viewers can focus only on the model, this work shows signs of paying attention to the background, such as drawing a slightly open door. Also, the slightly tilted head, one of Modigliani's painting features, is not shown in this work. 

The girl's black beret contrasts with the girl's white and pale skin, the white ribbon tying the girl's hair exposed under the hat, and the girl's white teeth. In addition, the girl's pure, shy smile and the rather humorous uneven teeth alleviate the paleness of the girls' skin and pink dress and give this painting a more intimacy. 

Compared to this work, the girl in Nagoya portrait does not wear a hat, and the color of the ribbon that tied her hair is black, and the pigtails are clearly shown. Also, unlike the girl in this work, who looks bright and pale overall, the Nagoya portrait is in a darker color. Overall, this work shows a more sophisticated appearance than that of the Nagoya portrait.

The Model of this work can also be seen in Modigliani's other works as shown below.

Young girl, Amedeo Modigliani (1917)

Little Maud, Amedeo Modigliani (1917)

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The Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 62. Portrait of Constant Lepoutre (1916)

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

The 62nd work to introduce for this week is “Portrait of Constant Lepoutre” in 1916.

This work is an expressionist style portrait and an oil painting on a canvas with the size of 92 x 65 cm, and is kept in a private collection in Paris.

The model for this work, Constant Lepoutre, was a famous Parisian framer and art dealer. He became acquainted with Modigliani's work in November 1916 through an exhibition of Modigliani's works, organized by Modigliani's friends Kisling and Ortis de Zarate. Impressed with Modigliani's talent and sympathetic with his financial situation, Lepoutre decides to help Modigliani financially.

Regarding Lepoutre’s support, Modigliani said, “He provides me with the equipment and the model, gives me 20 francs each time and always leaves a quarter of rum for me on the table. Lepoutre is a gentleman,” and he praised for his care and generosity. In return, Modigliani painted this portrait and asked Lepoutre to wear a yellow jacket and a black work hat.

However, since Lepoutre's family did not appreciate this work, Lepoutre gave this painting to Zborowski, who is Modigliani's friend and art dealer with 100 francs, and he, in turn, sold it to Roger Dutilleul. This work also became the first of Modigliani's works collected by Dutilleul over a long period, especially avidly collected between 1918 and 1925.

Roger Dutilleul, Amedeo Modigliani (1919)

Modigliani's use of pale, chalky colors in his works is mainly associated with his stay in Southern France in 1918, but can sometimes be seen in his earlier works. The pale colors used by Modigliani in this work give the painting a blurry and faint appearance, and these effects give a feeling, suggesting fading appearance of old Lepoutre. Modigliani's request for wearing the yellow jacket may have been due to further emphasize the fading old Lepoutre’s look. 

For Modigliani, who asked a lot of requests to paint this portrait, Lepoutre may have been somewhat offensive, and such requests may have been one of the main reasons his family did not appreciate this work.

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