Giovanni Boldini (31 December 1842 – 11 January 1931) was an Italian genre and portrait painter who lived and worked in Paris for most of his career. According to a 1933 article in Time magazine, he was known as the "Master of Swish" because of his flowing style of painting.[1]
Boldini was born in Ferrara, Italy on 31 December 1842. He was the son of a painter of religious subjects, and the younger brother of architect Luigi (Louis) Boldini. In 1862, he went to Florence for six years to study and pursue painting. He only infrequently attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts, but in Florence, met other realist painters known as the Macchiaioli, who were Italian precursors to Impressionism. Their influence is seen in Boldini's landscapes which show his spontaneous response to nature, although it is for his portraits that he became best known.[2]
Career
Giovanni Boldini, Portrait of Lucie Gérard, circa 1890. Pastel on canvas.
Photograph of Boldini in his atelier, by Alice Guérin, c. 1925.
Moving to London, Boldini attained success as a portraitist. He completed portraits of distinguished members of society including Lady Holland and the Duchess of Westminster.[3] From 1872 he lived in Paris, where he became a friend of Edgar Degas. He became the most fashionable portrait painter in Paris in the late 19th century, with a dashing style of painting which shows some Macchiaioli influence and a brio reminiscent of the work of younger artists, such as John Singer Sargent and Paul Helleu.
He was nominated commissioner of the Italian section of the Paris Exposition in 1889, and received the Légion d'honneur for this appointment.[4] In 1897 he had a solo exhibition in New York.[4] He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1895, 1903, 1905, and 1912.[4]
Boldini died in Paris on 11 January 1931.[5] In a write up in The New York Times in January 1931, his career was summed up as follows:
Boldini was a fashionable portrait painter. He 'did' all the grandes dames of Paris, and at a certain period to have a portrait painted by Boldini was a crowning event of social season. His style was racy and advanced for his time, and he believed that his décolleté paintings touched the extreme limit of convention. His work was the talk of numerous salons. And then he was superseded by Vandongens and Etcheverrys and Domergues and others whose daring shocked and discouraged Boldini. He had not painted for many years before his death. His body was taken to Ferrara, his native city, for burial.[5]
After his death, his work continued to be exhibited around the world.[6] An exhibition of his work was held in 1938, seven years after his death, at the Newhouse Galleries in New York City.[7]
Boldini is a character in the ballet Franca Florio, regina di Palermo, written in 2007 by the Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero, which depicts the story of Donna Franca, a famous Sicilian aristocrat whose exceptional beauty inspired him and many other artists, musicians, poets and emperors during the Belle Époque.
A Boldini portrait of his former muse Marthe de Florian, a French actress, was discovered in a Paris flat in late 2010, hidden away from view on the premises that were unvisited for over 50 years. The portrait has never been listed, exhibited or published and the flat belonged to de Florian's granddaughter, who inherited the flat after her father's death in 1966 and lived in the South of France after the outbreak of the Second World War and never returned to Paris.[8][9] A love-note and a biographical reference to the work painted in 1888, when the actress was 24, cemented its authenticity. A full-length portrait of the lady in the same clothing and accessories, but less provocative, hangs in the New Orleans Museum of Art.
The discovery of his painting in the 70-years-empty apartment forms the background to Michelle Gable's 2014 novel A Paris Apartment.[10]
References
^. time.com. 3 April 1933. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010.
^Morris, Roderick Conway (13 November 2009). "In Impressionist Paris, the Face of the Belle Époque". The New York Times.
^de Gubernatis, Angelo (1889). Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi: pittori, scultori, e Architetti. Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier. p. 63.
^ abcSteingräber, E., & Matteucci, G. (1984). The Macchiaioli: Tuscan Painters of the Sunlight : March 14-April 20, 1984. New York: Stair Sainty Matthiesen in association with Matthiesen, London. p. 105. OCLC 70337478.
^ abTIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (18 January 1931). "PARIS HAS LOST TWO NOTED PRE-WAR FIGURES; Gay Life of Earlier Days Recalled With the Passing This Week of Willy and Boldini". The New York Times.
^Jewell, Edwabd Alden (19 March 1933). "FIN DE SIECLE BRAVURA; Maud Dale Clamorously Presents Boldini, Galvanizing the Early Spring Season". The New York Times.
^Jewell, Edward Alden (9 March 1938). "BOLDINI EXHIBITION OPENS AT NEW HOUSE; Interesting Display Made Up of Works Found in Artist's Studio After His Death". The New York Times.
^John Hall (16 May 2013). "Revealed: Eerie new images show forgotten French apartment that was". The Independent.
^Samuel, Henry (4 Oct 2010). "Parisian flat containing €2.1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
^Wilkens, John (7 February 2016). "Novelist writes what she doesn't know". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
Sources
T. Panconi, Boldini, L'uomo e la pittura, Pisa (Italy) 1998
E. Savoia (a cura di), Giovanni Boldini. Il dinamismo straordinario delle linee, (catalogo della mostra), Bologna (Italy) 1999
E. Savoia (a cura di), Omaggio a Giovanni Boldini, (catalogo della mostra), Bologna (Italy) 2001
T. Panconi, Giovanni Boldini, L'opera completa (Catalogo generale ragionato legale), Firenze (Italy) 2002
P. Dini e F. Dini, Giovanni Boldini 1842-1931. Catalogo ragionato, Torino 2002
E. Savoia (a cura di), G. Boldini. Dalla macchia alla sperimentazione dinamica, (catalogo della mostra), Bologna (Italy) 2003
T. Panconi, Boldini Mon Amour (catalogo della mostra, con presentazione del ministro per i beni culturali), Pisa (Italy) 2008
E. Savoia (a cura di), Giovanni Boldini. Capolavori e opere inedite dall'atelier dell'artista, (catalogo della mostra), Milano (Italy) 2011
S. Bosi, E. Savoia, Giovanni Boldini. Il Narratore della "dolce vita" parigina, Treviso, Antiga Edizioni 2011
T. Panconi, S. Gaddi, Boldini e la Belle Epoque (catalogo della mostra), Milano (Italy) 2011
S. Bosi, E. Savoia, La mostra di Giovanni Boldini del 1963 al Musée Jacquemart-André di Parigi da un album fotografico inedito, Milano (Italy) 2011
Boldini, Giovanni, Enzo Savoia, and Stefano Bosi. Giovanni Boldini. Capolavori e opere inedite dall'atelier dell'artista. Crocetta del Montello: Antiga. 2011. ISBN978-88-88997520
T. Panconi, S. Gaddi, Giovanni Boldini (catalogo della mostra di Roma - Venaria Reale To), Skira editore, Milano 2017
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giovanni Boldini.
The photo gallery with the best female portraits by Boldini
wikiart.org Growing public domain of Boldini's paintings
Video excerpt from the ballet Franca Florio, regina di Palermo on YouTube
March 04, 2023
giovanni, boldini, december, 1842, january, 1931, italian, genre, portrait, painter, lived, worked, paris, most, career, according, 1933, article, time, magazine, known, master, swish, because, flowing, style, painting, self, portrait, montorsoli, 1892born, 18. Giovanni Boldini 31 December 1842 11 January 1931 was an Italian genre and portrait painter who lived and worked in Paris for most of his career According to a 1933 article in Time magazine he was known as the Master of Swish because of his flowing style of painting 1 Giovanni BoldiniSelf portrait at Montorsoli 1892Born 1842 12 31 31 December 1842Ferrara ItalyDied11 January 1931 1931 01 11 aged 88 Paris FranceNationalityItalianEducationAcademy of Fine Arts of FlorenceKnown forPaintingMovementMacchiaioliAwardsLegion of HonourPatron s Diego Martelli Goupil amp Cie Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Works 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksEarly life EditBoldini was born in Ferrara Italy on 31 December 1842 He was the son of a painter of religious subjects and the younger brother of architect Luigi Louis Boldini In 1862 he went to Florence for six years to study and pursue painting He only infrequently attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts but in Florence met other realist painters known as the Macchiaioli who were Italian precursors to Impressionism Their influence is seen in Boldini s landscapes which show his spontaneous response to nature although it is for his portraits that he became best known 2 Career Edit Giovanni Boldini Portrait of Lucie Gerard circa 1890 Pastel on canvas Photograph of Boldini in his atelier by Alice Guerin c 1925 Moving to London Boldini attained success as a portraitist He completed portraits of distinguished members of society including Lady Holland and the Duchess of Westminster 3 From 1872 he lived in Paris where he became a friend of Edgar Degas He became the most fashionable portrait painter in Paris in the late 19th century with a dashing style of painting which shows some Macchiaioli influence and a brio reminiscent of the work of younger artists such as John Singer Sargent and Paul Helleu He was nominated commissioner of the Italian section of the Paris Exposition in 1889 and received the Legion d honneur for this appointment 4 In 1897 he had a solo exhibition in New York 4 He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1895 1903 1905 and 1912 4 Boldini died in Paris on 11 January 1931 5 In a write up in The New York Times in January 1931 his career was summed up as follows Boldini was a fashionable portrait painter He did all the grandes dames of Paris and at a certain period to have a portrait painted by Boldini was a crowning event of social season His style was racy and advanced for his time and he believed that his decollete paintings touched the extreme limit of convention His work was the talk of numerous salons And then he was superseded by Vandongens and Etcheverrys and Domergues and others whose daring shocked and discouraged Boldini He had not painted for many years before his death His body was taken to Ferrara his native city for burial 5 After his death his work continued to be exhibited around the world 6 An exhibition of his work was held in 1938 seven years after his death at the Newhouse Galleries in New York City 7 Works Edit Main article List of works by Giovanni Boldini Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi 1886 Then princess Clara Ward 1889 Portrait of John Singer Sargent c 1890 Portrait of Robert de Montesquiou 1897 Portrait of Anita de la Ferie the Spanish Dancer 1900 Portrait of La Marchesa Luisa Casati with greyhound 1908 Portrait of the Princess Cecile Murat Ney d Elchingen 1910 Portrait of Rita de Acosta Lydig 1911 Portrait of the actress Marthe de FlorianIn popular culture EditBoldini is a character in the ballet Franca Florio regina di Palermo written in 2007 by the Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero which depicts the story of Donna Franca a famous Sicilian aristocrat whose exceptional beauty inspired him and many other artists musicians poets and emperors during the Belle Epoque A Boldini portrait of his former muse Marthe de Florian a French actress was discovered in a Paris flat in late 2010 hidden away from view on the premises that were unvisited for over 50 years The portrait has never been listed exhibited or published and the flat belonged to de Florian s granddaughter who inherited the flat after her father s death in 1966 and lived in the South of France after the outbreak of the Second World War and never returned to Paris 8 9 A love note and a biographical reference to the work painted in 1888 when the actress was 24 cemented its authenticity A full length portrait of the lady in the same clothing and accessories but less provocative hangs in the New Orleans Museum of Art The discovery of his painting in the 70 years empty apartment forms the background to Michelle Gable s 2014 novel A Paris Apartment 10 References Edit Art Master of Swish time com 3 April 1933 Archived from the original on November 22 2010 Morris Roderick Conway 13 November 2009 In Impressionist Paris the Face of the Belle Epoque The New York Times de Gubernatis Angelo 1889 Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi pittori scultori e Architetti Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier p 63 a b c Steingraber E amp Matteucci G 1984 The Macchiaioli Tuscan Painters of the Sunlight March 14 April 20 1984 New York Stair Sainty Matthiesen in association with Matthiesen London p 105 OCLC 70337478 a b TIMES Wireless to THE NEW YORK 18 January 1931 PARIS HAS LOST TWO NOTED PRE WAR FIGURES Gay Life of Earlier Days Recalled With the Passing This Week of Willy and Boldini The New York Times Jewell Edwabd Alden 19 March 1933 FIN DE SIECLE BRAVURA Maud Dale Clamorously Presents Boldini Galvanizing the Early Spring Season The New York Times Jewell Edward Alden 9 March 1938 BOLDINI EXHIBITION OPENS AT NEW HOUSE Interesting Display Made Up of Works Found in Artist s Studio After His Death The New York Times John Hall 16 May 2013 Revealed Eerie new images show forgotten French apartment that was The Independent Samuel Henry 4 Oct 2010 Parisian flat containing 2 1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years The Daily Telegraph London Retrieved 6 October 2010 Wilkens John 7 February 2016 Novelist writes what she doesn t know The San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved 3 August 2016 Sources EditT Panconi Boldini L uomo e la pittura Pisa Italy 1998 E Savoia a cura di Giovanni Boldini Il dinamismo straordinario delle linee catalogo della mostra Bologna Italy 1999 E Savoia a cura di Omaggio a Giovanni Boldini catalogo della mostra Bologna Italy 2001 T Panconi Giovanni Boldini L opera completa Catalogo generale ragionato legale Firenze Italy 2002 P Dini e F Dini Giovanni Boldini 1842 1931 Catalogo ragionato Torino 2002 E Savoia a cura di G Boldini Dalla macchia alla sperimentazione dinamica catalogo della mostra Bologna Italy 2003 T Panconi Boldini Mon Amour catalogo della mostra con presentazione del ministro per i beni culturali Pisa Italy 2008 E Savoia a cura di Giovanni Boldini Capolavori e opere inedite dall atelier dell artista catalogo della mostra Milano Italy 2011 S Bosi E Savoia Giovanni Boldini Il Narratore della dolce vita parigina Treviso Antiga Edizioni 2011 T Panconi S Gaddi Boldini e la Belle Epoque catalogo della mostra Milano Italy 2011 S Bosi E Savoia La mostra di Giovanni Boldini del 1963 al Musee Jacquemart Andre di Parigi da un album fotografico inedito Milano Italy 2011 Boldini Giovanni Enzo Savoia and Stefano Bosi Giovanni Boldini Capolavori e opere inedite dall atelier dell artista Crocetta del Montello Antiga 2011 ISBN 978 88 88997520 T Panconi S Gaddi Giovanni Boldini catalogo della mostra di Roma Venaria Reale To Skira editore Milano 2017External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giovanni Boldini Giovanni Boldini at Find a Grave Virtual Gallery and reference Archived 2021 03 02 at the Wayback Machine Giovanni Boldini Macchiaioli museum archive expertise and reference 77 works by Giovanni Boldini Giovanni Boldini biography at valutarte it Giovanni Boldini at the John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery Giovanni Boldini at ArtCyclopedia Giovanni Boldini Gallery Archived 2016 04 05 at the Wayback Machine The photo gallery with the best female portraits by Boldini wikiart org Growing public domain of Boldini s paintings Video excerpt from the ballet Franca Florio regina di Palermo on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Giovanni Boldini amp oldid 1134010246, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
