How are you?
Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is
currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani one by one every week.
The 51st work to introduce for this
week is “The Servant (La Fantesca)” in 1915.
This work is a portrait of an
expressionist style and an oil painting on canvas with the size of 81 x 46 cm,
and currently in private collection.
Modigliani painted the seated model
in a familiar pose with her hands on her knees. This work clearly reminds
Modigliani's interest in the Fauves, and shows his still interest in the
sculptures from the gentle and timeless face of the model. The work also
clearly describes the model's social status by depicting the model wearing an apron.
The blue-gray wall and the light brown frame in the background is contrasted with
the dark blue color of the model's clothes, making the model stand out and
creating a comfortable atmosphere.
In addition, the model's posture,
which is a style frequently seen in Modigliani's work, slightly deviated from
the center of the painting and tilted sideways, is balanced by the painting (or
mirror) on the wall. It is difficult to clearly determine whether the frame hanging
on the wall is a painting or a mirror, but it seems that it is a painting from
his signing on the frame. However, Modigliani draws inquiries about the
painting on the wall in this work by not identifying what it is, compared to other
paintings which can figure out what the painting on the wall is.
The ears of
the model depicted in this painting are also one of the unique features of the
work as some of other works of Modigliani. It is common for Modigliani not to
describe the ears in detail when drawing. However, in the case of this work,
the ears were clearly and precisely described.
The work also has a format
similar to that of Modigliani's "Antonia" in 1915.
Antonia (1915)
However, there are differences
between the two works in terms of overall main colors, colors’ density, and the
position of the model on the canvas and brushwork style.
In Antonia, the painting was drawn
in the dark density of brown-oriented color, and the model is posing in a
vertical position, rather than a tilted in the center of the canvas. However,
in the case of Fantesca, the blue-gray and brown colors are mixed and the density
of the color is much lighter compared to Antonia. In addition, the model poses
in a position tilted sideways off the center of the canvas.
Also in the brushwork style,
Antonia is reminiscent of The Macchiaioli style that Modigliani encountered in
his hometown of Livorno, from the small green dots on the model's face, neck,
and especially outside the contour of the face, while Fantesca is almost an
ordinary brushwork style.
The small green dots, Antonia (1915)
The Ordinary brushwork, La Fantesca (1915)
For reference, the Macchiaioli was
a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany, Italy in the second half of the 19th
century. They drew most of the paintings outdoors to capture natural light,
shade and color, away from the academic arts taught at the Italian art
academies at the time. Their style is also called “Italian Impressionism”
because it is related to the French impressionism.
Macchiaioli at the Caffè Michelangiolo (c. 1856)
They believed that light and shadow,
or "spots," were the main components of the work of art. The “macchia”
was a term commonly used by Italian artists and critics in the 19th century to
describe the sparkling quality that arises in a drawing or painting.
Thank you.
