Modigliani – Statue – Nude Caryatid (1913)

About the nude caryatid

This sculpture of a nude caryatid is part of our exclusive collection of statues at the Musart Boutique, inspired by Modigliani’s sketch ©Modigliani Foundation. The Statue comes with Modigliani biography and description.

• Dimensions: 5 3/4 in. x 3 3/4 in. x 2 3/8 in.
• Material: Resin
• Weight (lbs): 1.2 lbs, ship wt est: 3.2

A nude caryatid is a stone carving of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building. Modigliani made more than seventy drawings of caryatids, as preparatory sketches for sculptures. Their highly stylized manner shows his absorption in a wide variety of arts then considered to be “˜primitive,’ including African and especially Cambodian carvings. The drawings were preparatory sketches for sculptures, and Modigliani is said to have conceived of a “˜temple to humanity’ surrounded by hundreds of such caryatids. However, he appears to have made only one carving directly related to this crouching figure.

In 1912, the art of sculpture seemed to have taken a heavy toll. Modigliani was completely exhausted by the heavy and dust work. He was forced to devote his attentions once again to painting and was inspired by Cham Soutine, his new neighbor. He was particularly impressed by the technique and definitive lines of this Lithuanian Impressionist. The original charcoal sketch displays the same nude caryatid sculptural characteristics.

About Amedeo Modigliani

Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of Jewish heritage. His work and style can be immediately recognized because of his extraordinary interpretations of the human face, maintaining his individuality through his typical elongation of shapes. His works were not received well during his lifetime but later found acceptance.

Modigliani was born in the Tuscan town of Livorno and received his academic education in Florence and Venice. In 1906, he established himself in the famous Montmartre area in Paris, where his talent was instantly recognized by the East European avant-garde and came into contact with prominent artists such as Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brà¢ncuÅŸi. Modigliani had a short and eventful artistic life and was extremely driven and longed for recognition. But his life was also marked by alcoholism, metaphysical fears, and progressive tuberculosis. He took to excessive drinking and drugs and was frequently in poverty. He died at age 35 in Paris of tubercular meningitis and left the world an oeuvre that shows a sincere, obsessive search for truth and purity within art.