A Comparison Between The Works Of Amedeo Modigliani And Jacques Villon Essay Example For Students

A Comparison Between The Works Of Amedeo Modigliani And Jacques Villon Essay Italian-born Cubist painter, Amedeo Modigliani 1884-1920 and the French, Jacques Villon 1875-1963, both painted vibrant and expressive portraits during the early twentieth-century. In this case, the chosen portraits are Modiglianis Portrait of Mrs. Hastings, 1915 and Villons Mme. Fulgence, 1936. Both of these compositions are portraits. Nothing is of more importance than the sitter herself. The female sitter in Modiglianis piece, sits in an almost dizzying pose with a twist in her elongated neck a Modigliani trademark, a stylized and mask-like head and a columnar neck. All of which give the sitter a blank and ashen expression. She looks at the viewer, head-on with a most piercing air in her eyes. In Villons case, his female sitter has been created solely with the use of layered colours and a very random synthetist outline technique a similar technique the post-impressionist painter Gaugin used. Modigliani outlines his figure moreso in black than Villon. Mme. Fulgences age is understood by the strong dynamic colour quality that has been used to break her face apart. In a way, these colourful divisions act as wrinkles. For instance, the chunk of layered pink on her lip creates a scowl and the heavily applied white on her nose helps it to seem upright; a snobbish upturn. Colours such as the orange, have been used to highlight her left cheek and only visible ear. With these effects, the viewer sees Mme. Fulgence as a very proper andposh if you will woman. Bitterness is only a common linkage with the other attributes. Modiglianis Hastings on the other hand seems to be an intense woman of a compassionate nature. Both of these pieces have relied heavily on the expressive and wild use of colour to create emotional expressions and unerring form. Both of these portraits are created using oil paintsModiglianis on cardboard and Villons on canvas. The most important element that draws their work away from the mainstream is their heavy application of paint. Although they both apply their colour liberally, Modiglianis strokes are thick, jagged, and for the most part random. His brushstrokes are also particularly long, whereas Villons are short and brief. Modigliani uses monochromatic hues of red to create the prominent colour of the piece and like Villon, he has used a very vague background to express the importance of his sitter. Colour is of equal importance in both pieces as it draws the viewer in and allows the viewers eyes to be brought around the piece. Modigliani has split his background from top to bottom, using red and strokes of burnt sienna at first, then an auburn and deeper red for the bottom. This definite split in the background creates a base so that the chair on which the sitter is seated does not get lost and mistaken for part of the background. The weighty application in both portraits creates a brilliant textural finish. The expressive nature that is brought out in the quick brushstrokes  is equally defined in the actual texture of the painting plain. In Modiglianis background, the strokes are long and applied at a rapid pace. Whereas in Villons background, his strokes are shorter and seem to have more of a planned location just as Seurat applies his paint. Villon has placed his subject in front of the background in an almost symmetrical manner. This poses the idea that the two really do not have an intense relationship whatsoever. The Madame is not quite centred to look at the viewer dead-on as Modiglianis is, her body is shifted slightly to the left. Modiglianis sitter, on the other hand has been placed carefully on her foreground, off to the left. This brings in ample space for the chair. Having his subject seated, Modigliani says more about the subjects surroundings. .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .postImageUrl , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:hover , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:visited , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:active { border:0!important; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:active , .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5 .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u418441b8078953def8c9fdc50af220a5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Business Comparison Of Mail Communications New Technologies Have Alway EssayVillon has merely placed Mme. Fulgence in front of a green background, with only the highlights of her age to carry one through the piece. As stated before, the negative space that is prevalent in both pieces is highly effective as it does not take away from the issue at hand: the seated. Both artists have used the application of their colours to their advantage in creating emotion merely through its use. Whether the colours are blended like Modigliani or choppy and difficult to ingest for the colours are used at their most vibrant tone as Villons are, both artists used an extreme colour palette to bring forth the ideal emotions and/or physical standing of their models.