Giovanni
Boldini 1842 - 1931
(Self Portrait, 1892) |
The Dazzling Bravura of
Giovanni Boldini
His exuberant brush
captured extraordinary realism.
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.
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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
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