#ModiglianiUpClose 5/18: Men in Black-ish. At first glance, the jackets donned by our father and son duo appear to be a straightforward black but closer observation shows that there’s more than meets the eye. For example, in Jean-Baptiste’s jacket, bone black is interwoven with Prussian blue, cobalt blue, green, red , and vermilion. Modigliani’s colouristic virtuosity is evident in his modelling of flesh: liberal uses of red and green impart dimensionality. Even backgrounds can enthralled. The portrait of Paul Alexandre (Modigliani’s friend and first patron) took me by surprise: in reproductions, the background is meh at most, but in person, the kaleidoscopic brushstrokes evoke the scintillating surfaces & brilliance of stained glass windows. Just a quick nerdy note: here, the portrait of Jean-Baptiste (amongst several others featured in the exhibition) challenges the default assumption that financial necessity motivated the artist’s decision to reuse old canvases. This portrait was the artist’s first commission, he was paid 500 francs and could have purchased all new materials, but chose to paint over at least two previous images, incorporating their impasto textures. Inventive and resourceful. One more thing. As a friend noted, how daring is it that the CROSS is cut off at the top of the composition?! Jesus must be cross. Pictured: Amedeo Modigliani ‘Paul Alexandre in Front of a Window’ 1913 @rmm_rouen ‘Jean-Baptiste Alexandre with a Crucifix’ 1909 @rmm_rouen 🖼#Modigliani #AmedeoModigliani #20thcenturyart #italianartist #artist #brushstrokes #pigment #impasto #portrait #portraiture #palette #oilpainting #color #modernart #fineart #painting #artwork #closelooking #arthistory #exhibition #moustache #movember #mensfashion #meninblack #fashion #artoftheday #artdaily #artoftheday #dailyart #ArtLovers