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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

'Happiness is an angel with a serious face.'

sculpture, 'Head of a Woman' - 1912 and 'Blue Eyes' [portrait of Madame Jeanne Hébuterne] - 1917

While visiting Erica earlier this year I saw this art at a Marc Chagall exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art which included some work by his contemporaries, in particular Amadeo Modigliani.
'Portrait of a Polish Woman' - 1919
ABC Wednesday's letter du jour is M for Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian painter & sculptor who lived from 1884-1920. He studied in Italy but made his more famous work while in Paris in the Left Bank bohemian Montparnasse with contemporaries like Picasso and Chagall. His work is easily recognizable in the painted figures with elongated bodies and mask-like sculptures. Sadly he died at 36 from drug and alcohol abuse, and finally, tuberculosis.

Visit Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday for many more uses of the letter 'M'
title quote by Modigliani

15 comments:

  1. I've heard the name, but didn't know the work. Sad life.
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  2. angels of agonizing joy.

    LIFE!



    Warm Aloha from Honolulu;

    Comfort Spiral



    > < } } ( ° >

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  3. Such a waste of life and talent. Too young to die.

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  4. Interesting post! I have the movie, "Modigliani"...it is good, but ends very sadly.

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  5. Hi Noni, just stopping by to say hello, and wish you a happy week. I'm fascinated by the life and works of Modigliani. a life cut short. it seems that happens too often with artists. perhaps it's true that artists are tortured souls. but they gift us with such beauty. happy day to you.

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  6. I came across Modigliani early in my awakening to artists, and somehow always associated him with the sorrow of a sad clown, but can't explain why...

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  7. Reminds one a bit of El Greco, doesn't it! The elongated body at least.

    I love to see your posts, but I too seldom comment on the posts of my first blogger friend. XOXP

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  8. That was supposed to be XOXO! How did I hit a "P"?

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  9. Noni, what a fine post on Modigliani. He is a great talent indeed, I appreciate so much his works.
    Happy Wednesday!

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  10. His paintings always struck me as being so very melancholic, even before I knew of his sad, short, abused life.

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  11. And his elongated style was due to a vision issue ..

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  12. What a sad ending!! Nice looking young man!
    hughugs

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  13. Liked your choice for the letter M - thank you.

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  14. Excellent choice. It causes me to wonder what he could have accomplished in his later years.

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  15. Love your pick for ABC this week, Noni. Modigliani, a favorite since I was a young man. Thanks for the fine post.

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To live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws, to be led by permanent ideals--that is what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm & unspoiled when the world praises him.
Honoré de Balzac