Modigliani, Amedeo (ämādĕ`ō mōdēlyä`nē), 1884–1920, Italian painter, b. Livorno. In Paris after 1906, Modigliani first worked as a sculptor and was influenced by cubism cubism, art movement, primarily in painting, originating in Paris c.1907.

Cubist Theory

Cubism began as an intellectual revolt against the artistic expression of previous eras.
..... Click the link for more information. and African art. Soon, however, he developed a unique style in painting, characterized by an elongation of form, a purity of line, a sense of sculptural mass, and a languorous atmosphere reminiscent of Florentine mannerism mannerism, a style in art and architecture (c.1520–1600), originating in Italy as a reaction against the equilibrium of form and proportions characteristic of the High Renaissance.
..... Click the link for more information. . Although known to other artists and many Parisian intellectuals, he remained largely unknown to the public during his short life, which was one of poverty, dissipation, and disease. Shortly after his death from tuberculosis, his magnificent portraits and figure studies became highly prized by collectors. Modigliani is particularly well represented in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

Bibliography

See biography by W. Fifield (1978); studies by J. Modigliani (1958), J. T. Soby (1963), A. Werner (1967), C. Mann (1985), A. S. Pfannsteil and B. Schuster (1986), A. Kruszynski (1996), D. Autkrystof (2000), K. Wayne (2002), M. Restilinni (2003), and M. Klein et al. (2004).

Modigliani, Amedeo

Self-portrait by Amedeo Modigliani, oil on canvas, 1919; in the Museum of Contemporary Art of the …

(credit: Courtesy of the Museu de Arte Contemporanea da Universidade de Sao Paulo, gift of Mr. Francisco M. Sobrinho and Mrs. Yolanda Penteado; photograph, Gerson Zanini)

(born July 12, 1884, Livorno, Italy—died Jan. 24, 1920, Paris, France) Italian painter and sculptor. After studying art in Italy, he settled in Paris (1906), where he exhibited several paintings at the Salon des Indépendants in 1908. Following the advice of Constantin Brancusi, he studied African sculpture and in 1912 exhibited 12 stone heads whose simplified and elongated forms reflect African influence. When he returned to painting, his portraits and nudes—characterized by asymmetry of composition, elongation of the figure, and a simplification of outline—reflected the style of his sculpture. By almost eliminating chiaroscuro, he achieved a sculptural quality by the strength of his contours and the richness of juxtaposed colours. In 1917 he began painting a series of female nudes that, with their warm, glowing colours and sensuous, rounded forms, are among his best works. His work reflects his lifelong admiration for Italian Renaissance masters, as well as the influence of Paul Cézanne and Brancusi. He died at 35 of tuberculosis.