“Wn v ɖ acnolijd sūṗstarz v twentiiʈ-senčri āt, Amideo Modiłani (1884-1920) z olso ɖ bst nôn n most luvd v ol modn Itałn pêntrz. Wrcñ at ɖ episentr v avãgād xperimentešn in Paris btwn 1906 n 1920, h dveḷpt an ātistc vižn ɖt wz intîrli hiz ôn. Ɖs ny xbišn z ɖ frst t b dvotd t ɖ ātist at ɖ Esṭric C̣lẋn, n fôc̣sz on hiz wrcs on pêpr, šowñ ɖ spiričl n stîlistc dveḷpmnt v hiz ptreyl v ɖ hymn fês n fwm.
Modigliani, photographed in about 1909 (GETTY)
Modiłani’z hyṃnistc vižn v tîmls byti dru on a wîd renj v inflụnsz, imbresñ Itruscn, Ijipšn, Grīc, Africn, Ežn n ŕli Itałn Rnesns imijri. Têcñ ɖoz eḷmnts ɖt acwdd wɖ hiz ôn caṛcter n vižn, h crietd a rmācbl bodi v wrc ɖt sîd-stept Fôvizm, Kbizm n ɖ mni uɖr ātistc muvmnts v ɖ de.
Ɖs xbišn includz several wrcs fṛm ɖ c̣lẋn v Modiłani’z clôs frend Pwl Alixandra – wn v hiz fy ŕli pêtṛnz – alñ wɖ pìsz fṛm uɖr prîvt c̣lẋnz, includñ ɖt v Eric Esṭric. Ɖ mjoṛti r rerli sīn drōñz dêtñ fṛm ɖ ŕli yirz v Modiłani’z c̣rir, pṛvîdñ a fasinetñ n rvilñ insît intu ɖ ātist’s dstilešn v a stîl unmistecbl fr its pyṛti, simplisti n grês.”
Dr François Brabander, 1918. Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm.
Nude with Cup, c1916. Watercolour, Indian ink and pencil, 64.5 x 50 cm
Standing Female Nude in Profile with Lighted Candle, c. 1911
Kneeling Blue Caryatid, c1911. Blue crayon, 43 x 26.5 cm
Woman Reclining on a Bed, c. 1911
Male Head and Shoulders, c1911. Blue crayon, 42.8 x 26.7 cm
Columbine with Fan and wearing a Tutu, 1908. Black crayon, 31 x 24.3 cm
Portrait of Maud Abrantès, 1908. Watercolour with traces of black crayon, 41 x 32 cm.
Standing Nude, 1908. Black crayon, 43 x 26.7 cm.
Caryatid Seated on Plinth with Lighted Candles, n.d. Black crayon, 42.7 x 26 cm.
Doves, end of the 1st century BC to start of the 1st century AD. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Fishes, end of 1st to beginning of 2nd century AD. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Silvanus, 2nd – 3rd century AD. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Young Knight, Fiumicino (Isola Sacra): Necropolis of Porto, tomb 19, painted plaster, 2nd century AD
Umberto Mastroianni, Savage Fury, 1975. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Umberto Mastroianni, Savage Fury, 1975. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Ettore De Conciliis, Temple of Hercules, Evening, 2012. Courtesy Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Umberto Mastroianni, Yellow, Black and White, 1965. Tempera on scratched card, 72 x 72cm. Courtesy of Il Cigno GG Edizioni.
“Ɖs stimyletñ xibišn, spanñ tu milenia, juxṭpozz antiqitiz fṛm ɖ impwtnt arcı̣lojicl sait v Ostia Antīca, nir Rôm, wɖ ɖ wrc v tu modn Itałn ātists: Umberto Mastrýaņi (1910-1998) n Ețore de Cončiliis (b. 1941).
Fândd in ɖ 7ɖ senčri BC, ɖ ênčnt hābrsiti v Ostia wz an isenšl lnc t ɖ capitl v ɖ Rômn Empîr. At ɖ mâʈ v ɖ Rivr Tîbr, sâʈwest v Rôm, ɖ siti wz a cmršl hub n culčṛl meltñpot, iqipt wɖ a ʈiytr, baɖz, bêc̣riz, wérhâzz, barz n šops. Ɖ xibišn includz ênčnt stačri pwtreyñ godz, emṗrrz n ivoc̣tv sìnz v čarı̣trêsz at ɖ Rômn Src̣s, ẇl a ṣlẋn v intric̣t mzêics n tu wōlpêntñz fṛm nirbî Īẓla Sacra – Ostia’z seṃtri – r amñ ɖ fînist xamplz fṛm ɖ sait.
Az a bacdrop t ɖz wrcs, ɖr r a nmbr v speṣ̌li cmišnd pêntñz bî Ețore de Cončiliis dpictñ ɖ atṃsferic ple v lît acrs Ostia’z ruinz, n svṛl wrcs bî Mastrýani, wn v ɖ most impwtnt figrz in twentiiʈ-senčri Itałn sculpčr. Iniṣ̌li wrcñ in a fiğṛtv stîl similr t Mrīno Mrīni, Mastrýani bgan t implý abstract fwmz jrñ ɖ ŕli 1940z, n z bst nôn tde fr hiz monymntl wrcs cmeṃretñ ɖ Rzistns. Hiz dîṇmizm z far rmuvd fṛm ɖ srīn caṛctr v ɖ antīc pìsz. Yt hiz sculpčrz – rzmblñ grt girz n mcanicl cmponnts ɖt nâ stand mošnls – olso rcwl ācı̣lojcl fragmnts: bronz n ayn relics v an industrı̣l iyra ɖt r infyzd wɖ an elijayc qoḷti v ɖer ôn.
Ʈru ɖ juxṭṗzišn v cntrastñ wrcs fṛm tu wîdli dvrs culčrz, w cn rflct nt onli on ɖ gulf seṗretñ âr ôn îdiyz v byti fṛm ɖoz v âr ansestrz, bt olso hâ ełn ɖ culčṛl āṭfacts v tde me wn de sīm t âr ôn dsndnts.”
“Ɖs dsple brñz tgɖr drōñz n pêntñz bî Franc Ârbāc, wn v Britn’z most seḷbretd livñ pêntrz, spanñ ɖ pirı̣d fṛm hiz stydntdez t 2007. Ɖz wrcs incumṗs tu v ɖ subjcts ɖ ātist hz constntli rtrnd t: landsceps v Lundn, prîmṛli v nwʈ Lundn n ptklrli Camdn Tân, ẇr h hz bn livñ n wrcñ fr ɖ past sixti yirz; n pwtrits, mnli v tu wimin: Istela (Stela) Oliv West (E.O.W.), hūm h pêntd btwn 1952 n 1973, n hiz wîf Jūła.
Rtrnñ rpitdli t ɖ sem subjcts ovr decedz, Ârbāc’s āt z a ynīc undrtecñ. H constntli lcs any at ɖ sem sait or indivijl, strîvñ t fix ɖ indifîṇbl qoḷti v rw sensešnz stimyletd bî ɖ fwmz n strucčrz h siz. H hz sed: I am hôpñ t mc a ny ʈñ fr ɖ wrld ɖt rmenz in ɖ mind lîc a ny spīšīz v livñ ʈñ.
Lūšn Frýd c̣lctd ɖz pêntñz n drōñz ovr mni yirz, bildñ ɖ most significnt prîvt c̣lẋn v Ârbāc’s wrc. Ŕlịr ɖs yir, ɖs c̣lẋn wz axptd bî HM Guvnmnt in lù v Inheritns Tax fr aḷcešn t public c̣lẋnz.”
