In this blog post, we will revisit Modigliani’s artistic philosophy and works based on his statement, “I will paint the eyes when I know the soul.”
On the last day of September, when summer and autumn coexisted, I visited the Modigliani exhibition, ‘The Legend of Montparnasse,’ at the Hangaram Art Museum. This exhibition was prepared over a long period of time, and the efforts and passion of the organizers to bring all the works together in one place were remarkable. Modigliani is remembered as a handsome painter who aroused curiosity with his unique style of portraiture in his childhood textbooks and later with his love story with his 14-year-old wife, Jeanne Hébuterne, and as a tragic artist who died in extreme poverty. Through this exhibition, which displays about 400 works by an artist who did not leave many works behind, I felt grateful for the opportunity to see works that were difficult to collect through the efforts of the organizers in locating materials and contacting various collectors.
Amedeo Modigliani was born in Livorno, Tuscany, Italy, in the late 19th century. Despite difficult economic circumstances, his mother, who cherished her son’s talent, enabled him to receive an art education. He suffered from pleurisy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, and dropped out of school at the age of 14. Nevertheless, he traveled with his mother throughout southern and northern Italy, including Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, where he gained artistic inspiration. These experiences played a decisive role in bringing out his natural talent. Modigliani moved to Montparnasse, Paris, which was emerging as a new center of art at the time, where he interacted with contemporary masters such as Picasso and, after meeting the sculptor Brancusi, devoted himself to sculpture for a while.
His sculptures were mainly influenced by primitive African sculptures and revealed his attempt to explore the essence of humanity. The sculptures from this period are simple yet intense in their form, which later had a profound influence on his paintings. In particular, he applied the simplicity and distorted proportions he pursued in his sculptures to his portraits, thereby developing his unique style.
Modigliani, who was also famous for his good looks, had a fateful love affair with his young wife Jeanne Hébuterne, who was only 14 years old. In 1917, his first and only solo exhibition was closed after his nude paintings were ordered to be removed for being obscene. This shows how far ahead of his time he was, and also how controversial his works were at the time. He passed away on January 24, 1920, from meningitis caused by tuberculosis, and it was only after his death that his works and life became widely known.
This exhibition comprehensively highlights his artistic world, which has been recorded as a legend of Montparnasse, Paris, the center of avant-garde art, and is subtitled “The Legend of Montparnasse.” The works are displayed according to Modigliani’s life cycle, with portraits making up the majority of the exhibition. The works on display are divided into seven themes: “Paul Alexandre,” “Portrait of a Man,” “Woman with a Column,” “Portrait of a Woman,” “Nude,” “Works on Paper,” and “Modigliani and Moise Kisling.” Among the seven themes, the most familiar to us are the portraits. “Portrait of a Man” is mainly from his early work, and during his financially difficult times, the artist painted people he knew at the time, such as fellow artists, art dealers, and collectors.
“Portraits of Women” also often featured people from his surroundings as models, and through the docent’s explanation, I was able to appreciate various works centered on the wife of an acquaintance, Lunia Tschéko, who was a model that satisfied the artist’s sensibilities. In particular, the portrait of Modigliani’s wife, Jeanne, was even more poignant and moving because I knew their love story. He gained artistic inspiration through his love for Jeanne, and this was evident throughout his works.
His nude paintings were an unexpected encounter for me. With my limited knowledge, I only knew him as a sculptor, so I did not think of him as a painter of nude paintings. His nude paintings were works painted in his later years when he was more financially stable, and although they were criticized as quite obscene at the time, today they are regarded as bold and artistically innovative, ahead of their time. In particular, the description of these works as “mysterious yet deadly” struck me as very appropriate.
Modigliani’s works can be divided into two periods, before and after his sculpture work. In his early days, he followed the painting style that was popular at the time, but after his sculpture work, he developed his own unique style characterized by elongated faces and simplified forms. Through his portraits, he seems to have sought to express not only the outward appearance of his subjects, but also their inner emotions and souls. His portraits are characterized by long faces, long necks, eyes without pupils, and cylindrical figures. Although it was said that there was a difference between his early and late painting styles in this exhibition, I did not feel that the difference was significant.
Most of the portraits retain his distinctive features, and some even have pupils. The paintings with pupils felt relatively friendly and comfortable, giving a glimpse of the artist’s various attempts. However, when looking at his works, I always wondered why he did not paint pupils. I found the answer to that question at this exhibition. Modigliani said, “When I come to know your soul, I will paint your pupils.”
“When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes.”
This quote gives us a glimpse into the deep philosophy behind his paintings. He valued communication with his models and sought to capture not only their physical appearance but also their soul. In this sense, he seems to have been an artist who sought to explore the depths of human relationships more than anyone else. In particular, unlike his portraits, which were mostly of acquaintances, all of the nude paintings in this exhibition, which were of professional models, had eyes. This reflects his intention to exclude personal emotional exchanges, which I felt distinguished him from other painters who sought to clearly distinguish their relationships with their models.
Reading this phrase, I looked back at his paintings. Did the painter fail to find the soul of his models? Was there not enough time to connect with them? I asked myself these questions. If Modigliani had lived longer, would there have been more eyes in his paintings? I was left with this regret.
I realized that I still lack the basic knowledge to fully appreciate paintings. However, as I looked at the painting, I wondered what the painter was thinking when he painted it and whether the emotions I was feeling were what the painter intended. It may not be necessary to feel exactly what the artist intended, but if I can understand even a little of what he wanted to paint and express, I feel a sense of satisfaction. I resolve to appreciate each work with respect whenever I have such an opportunity in the future.
