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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5. La Tenda Rossa, 1904, detail
The brushstrokes flow with a very
sensuous freedom. There is considerable
animation and movement in the strokes
defining the hair. The face is captured
at an expressive, mobile moment—no stiff repose here! The
sitter is smoking a cigarette and
speaking as the portrait is achieved.
Of particular interest is the flow
of one form into another—the hair flows into the background
and into the dress; the objects
in the background merge gently into
each other. This technique captures
the vibrant, living quality of the
young woman.
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