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Elvira Resting at a Table by Amedeo Modigliani

2011; American Medical Association; Volume: 13; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Dinamarquês

10.1001/archfaci.2011.12

1538-3660

Emily B. Collins,

Giambattista Vico and Joyce

Archives of Facial Plastic SurgeryVol. 13, No. 2 Free AccessElvira Resting at a Table by Amedeo ModiglianiEmily B. CollinsEmily B. CollinsCorrespondence: Ms Collins, 12 E 88th St, New York, NY 10128-0535 (E-mail Address: emilybcollins@gmail.com).Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Mar 2011AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Amedeo Modigliani lived the life that most people think of when they think of an artist. He was a bohemian, a strong-willed free spirit. He depended on patrons and dealers who believed in his art. He had many lovers and argued fiercely with his fellow artists in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France, in an era at the end of the 19th century known as the fin de siècle. His freedom and his fast and loose approach to life could not last forever. Drug addiction and alcoholism would weaken his already frail body, and illness would lead to tragedy that stretched beyond just Modigliani.Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920). Elvira Resting at a Table, 1919. Oil on canvas. 36½ × 2313/16 in. Saint Louis Museum of Art, St Louis, Missouri. Gift of Joseph Pulitzer Jr in memory of his wife, Louise Vauclain Pulitzer. 77:1968.Amedeo Modigliani was born in 1884 to a Jewish banking family in Livorno, Italy. Livorno was unique at the time for its tolerance of Jews, and a culture of politically active and socially aware Jewish families developed.ref-qbe15001-1(pp3-4) Modigliani's mother, Eugenia, was the more influential parent. She doted on her son, and her family, the more cultured side, shaped Modigliani into the artist that he became. When Modigliani was 2 years old his maternal grandfather, Isaaco Garsin, came to live with them. He had experienced a severe mental breakdown following the failure of 2 of his businesses abroad. He suffered from persecution mania (a form of schizophrenia), as did his daughter, Laura (Modigliani's aunt, who later had to be committed to an insane asylum). Isaaco was probably insane, and most certainly was mentally disturbed. However, Modigliani was his favorite grandson, and the 2 spent many hours together. It was through his grandfather that the boy first became aware of philosophy and art. Following his grandfather's death, his Aunt Laura and his Aunt Gabriella helped to raise Modigliani. Unfortunately, Gabriella was not stable either and would later take her own life.ref-qbe15001-1(p7) No matter how culturally enlightened the family was, this could not have been a great childhood; from his family he probably inherited some degree of mental instability.Though he was always considered something of an intellectual, Modigliani did not do well at school. For reasons that are unclear, he did not enter school until he was 10 years old. By age 14 years he stopped receiving a regular education, and his mother enrolled him in drawing classes.ref-qbe15001-1(pp11-12) She wrote in her diary at this time that Modigliani already saw himself as an artist and that his lack of success at school did not surprise her, since he had not studied all year long. His art education continued, and he traveled to Rome, Italy, to study in the city so well known for art. Before too long, though, he felt he had outgrown his mentors and soon set his sights on Paris. His mother said she would support him, and, like mothers usually do, warned him to be good and to take care of himself and to follow doctor's orders.ref-qbe15001-1(p32) Modigliani did not follow his mother's advice, at least not for long.It was 1906 when Modigliani moved to Paris, the center of the art world, and it was a time of great upheaval. Many of the artists who had forced the art world to change from the stiff and regimented system it had been, such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and Cezanne, had all died within the previous 5 years. Artists like Matisse and Picasso were creating the exciting new art of the time, and Modigliani joined them in the Montmartre area of the city.ref-qbe15001-1(p34) Perhaps because of its bohemian atmosphere, the neighborhood soon became a tourist attraction, and many of the artists moved across the Seine to the Montparnasse area. Modigliani was able to support himself through money from his family and some sales of his art. However, by this time his drinking was out of control, and he was often arrested and was frequently robbed as a consequence.ref-qbe15001-1(p66-67)Modigliani's relationship with his patron and dealer Leopold Zborowski did not help his alcohol abuse. Zborowski provided the artist with alcohol regularly in order to help him express himself creatively. Zborowski preferred to give Modigliani alcohol so that he did not drink in public, which often led to bursts of violence.ref-qbe15001-1(pp170-173) As hard as it is to believe, Modigliani was loved by most people who met him. He was handsome and charming and extremely well read. His fellow artists did not always agree with him, but they did respect him and his talent. Women who met Modigliani were seduced by his good looks and charisma, by the talented but poor artist living a life of freedom.The woman in the portrait shown herein was named Elvira. She was one of Modigliani's many lovers, and he painted her no fewer than 4 times in the year 1918 to 1919. In this portrait we can observe Modigliani's signature blank eyes. Instead of focusing on the internal emotions of the sitter, which eyes often force the viewer to consider, the forms painted by Modigliani become the focal point. Much like Picasso's work at the time, Modigliani's subject's faces are reminiscent of African masks. Elvira's black dress is in extreme contrast to the pale blue wall behind her and adds weight and significance to her form. There are no folds visible in her dress, and even her black hair becomes another abstract shape in the painting. Modigliani does not completely surrender to abstraction though. Elvira sits at the table, her head resting on her hand, a gesture common in humanity. Her ruddy cheeks and pink lips are reminders of the blood and life that runs through her veins. Modigliani does not seem to want to forget the history of portraiture but instead wants to add a new page to it. Elvira, who was also known as “La Quique” or “La Chica,” was not born into a stable (though troubled) family as Modigliani was. They came from very different social classes, and if they had not been living in Paris in this time of disorder and artistic joie de vivre then they would have probably never met. Her father was a Spanish naval officer and her mother was a laundress who made extra money through prostitution. Elvira left home at age 15 years and headed to Paris. She moved around, living with several different men. At one point, a Dutch aristocrat provided for her and kept her as his mistress in Berlin, Germany, where she learned to sing. Though she lived a hard life, she appears young and fresh in Modigliani's portrait, and therefore he must have seen her this way, though she was his elder by 2 years. Unfortunately for Elvira, her life would end tragically. Like Modigliani, she was a drug addict, cocaine being her drug of choice. Her persistent drug use ruined her voice, though she did manage to join a group of traveling entertainers during the First World War. The group was captured, and when the authorities heard her speaking German they grew suspicious and believed Elvira to be a spy. Because of her wrecked voice she could not persuade them that she was in fact merely an entertainer, and they executed her.ref-qbe15001-1(p165)Like Elvira, Modigliani's story does not have a happy ending. Following an affair with a woman named Simone Thiroux, which resulted in a child that Modigliani would deny was his, he met Jeanne Hebuterne. Jeanne was no stranger to the art world. Though only 19 years old when she and Modigliani began their affair, she had previously been involved with a Japanese artist named Tsuguharu Foujita who described her as “vicious and sensual . . . sickly, pale, thin and mysterious.”ref-qbe15001-1(p181) Modigliani and Jeanne had a very devoted relationship, though not a healthy one. He was violent toward her, and she was completely under his control.ref-qbe15001-1(pp181-183) In return for this bizarre devotion Modigliani trusted only her. He already had tuberculosis by this point and was frequently coughing up blood. He used alcohol to numb the pain. As his illnesses progressed, he refused to go to the hospital and would only allow Jeanne to care for him. By the time he was taken to the hospital, the doctors saw very little hope for his survival. His body, already not a strong one, could not handle tuberculosis, and he died on January 24, 1920. Jeanne's parents, who had never approved of her relationship with Modigliani, came to pick her up and take her home with them. Jeanne was inconsolable, and by the next morning she had thrown herself out of her parent's fifth floor window, killing herself. She was pregnant at the time with her and Modigliani's second child.ref-qbe15001-2(p139) After many years of protest from Modigliani's family, the Hebuternes finally agreed to allow Jeanne to be buried next to him in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.Financial Disclosure: None reported.REFERENCESMeyers J. Modigliani: A Life.. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Inc; 2006 Google ScholarRussoli F. Modigliani.. New York, NY: Harry N Abrams Publishers; 1965 Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 13Issue 2Mar 2011 InformationCopyright 2011 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.To cite this article:Emily B. Collins.Elvira Resting at a Table by Amedeo Modigliani.Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.Mar 2011.136-136.http://doi.org/10.1001/archfaci.2011.12Published in Volume: 13 Issue 2: March 1, 2011PDF download