GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Amedeo Modigliani devoted his short and troubled life to creating paintings. He primarily made portraits of people he knew in a flat and coolly modulated style. Along with his contemporaries Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and André Derain, Modigliani greatly admired African masks, and their influence can be seen here in the stylized treatment of the boy’s face. With its acid yellow-green colors and the sitter’s air of detachment, Boy in Short Pants conveys the iconic elegance that Modigliani often bestowed upon his bohemian acquaintances.
Excerpt from
Nicole R. Myers, DMA label copy, 2017.
NOTES
Created c. 1918
Checked Piction
Label copy: This beautiful painting, created at the end of Modigliani's brief and troubled life, had been in the collection of the celebrated British actress Beatrice Lilly, before coming to Dallas. Modigliani is at his best in this work. The face of the young sitter expresses a gentle melancholy. Its stylized, oval forms remind us of the artist's interest in African tribal art, especially masks.
Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Europe Label Text, August 1993
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Boy in Short Pants," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 242.
Pressured by persistent debt and a tumultuous domestic life, Amedeo Modigliani escaped from Paris for a time to the south of France in 1918-19. While there, he painted several portraits of young boys, including this youth in short pants. Restrained emotionally, and less linear than his other portraits, these works are also more monumental. Paul Cézanne's influence is real, even if subtly merged with effects borrowed from African art. The face of the young sitter expresses a gentle melancholy, and its stylized, oval forms recall Modigliani's fascination with African masks.
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Ballet Dancers on the Stage," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 242.
Geography Southern France—either Nice of Cagnes needs more research to narrow down
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: France (nation): TGN: 1000070
Process/materials
Historical periods
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RELATED OBJECTS
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WEB RESOURCES
- Tate, London~Read "Five Things to Know: Amedeo Modigliani" from the Tate.
- Guggenheim, New York~Read a biography of Modgliani.
- Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris~Learn more about the life and work of Modigliani.
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Apply to objects where number equals 1977.1
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General Description
Amedeo Modigliani devoted his short and troubled life to creating paintings. He primarily made portraits of people he knew in a flat and coolly modulated style. Along with his contemporaries Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and André Derain, Modigliani greatly admired African masks, and their influence can be seen here in the stylized treatment of the boy’s face. With its acid yellow-green colors and the sitter’s air of detachment, Boy in Short Pants conveys the iconic elegance that Modigliani often bestowed upon his bohemian acquaintances.
Excerpt from
Nicole R. Myers, DMA label copy, 2017.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Tate, London~Read "Five Things to Know: Amedeo Modigliani" from the Tate.
- Guggenheim, New York~Read a biography of Modgliani.
- Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris~Learn more about the life and work of Modigliani.
Notes
Created c. 1918
Checked Piction
Label copy: This beautiful painting, created at the end of Modigliani's brief and troubled life, had been in the collection of the celebrated British actress Beatrice Lilly, before coming to Dallas. Modigliani is at his best in this work. The face of the young sitter expresses a gentle melancholy. Its stylized, oval forms remind us of the artist's interest in African tribal art, especially masks.
Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Europe Label Text, August 1993
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Boy in Short Pants," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 242.
Pressured by persistent debt and a tumultuous domestic life, Amedeo Modigliani escaped from Paris for a time to the south of France in 1918-19. While there, he painted several portraits of young boys, including this youth in short pants. Restrained emotionally, and less linear than his other portraits, these works are also more monumental. Paul Cézanne's influence is real, even if subtly merged with effects borrowed from African art. The face of the young sitter expresses a gentle melancholy, and its stylized, oval forms recall Modigliani's fascination with African masks.
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Ballet Dancers on the Stage," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 242.
Geography Southern France—either Nice of Cagnes needs more research to narrow down
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: France (nation): TGN: 1000070
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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