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Giovanni Boldini 1842 - 1931 (Self Portrait, 1892)

iovanni Boldini (1842-1931) occupies a unique and glamorous position in the history of portraiture. Extraordinarily successful as a painter of European high society, his dazzling bravura style, combined with brilliant precision, has made him one of the most admired and studied artists of all time. In fact, he occupies a position in that fabled "triumvirate of titans" at the very pinnacle of portrait painting in the golden era at the close of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. The names of John Singer Sargent, Boldini and Sorolla (the great Spanish master) are invariably linked when artists discuss this period. While this remarkable trio shared numerous characteristics, Boldini's work was distinguished by his slashing, rapier-like brushstrokes. Boldini was, like the other two, a consummate draftsman as well as a master painter of carefully observed tonal values. But these qualities were often overpowered by the explosive brush attack.

4. La Tenda Rossa, 1904 This small oil study, unusual in composition (almost abstract), offers some noteworthy features for study. The entire left third of the painting consists of rapid vertical brushstrokes. All the detail is restricted to the central third. Note the calligraphic-like strokes that define the very expressive hand. Click here to see a closeup of the head. Oil on canvas, 14 x 10 inches (36 x 26 cm). Collection, Rizzoli, Milan page 1 2 3 4 5 6

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