Diego Rivera. Painting by AmedoM odigliani

Famous Art work & Drawing by Amedo Modigalini -Diego Rivera.

Diego Rivera – Portrait

Modigliani took up residence in the Montparnasse section of Paris around 1909. There Modigliani established friendship with star artists like Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. Both of them inspired Modigliani to paint their portraits. Modigliani was quite skilled at portraiture and painted a variety of people including his fellow artists.

Modigliani painted number of portraits of Diego Rivera and this painting is one among them. Modigliani’s technique and stylization – its candid asymmetry, its shared cubist elements, its uneven eyes, the jigsaw fit of the nostrils to the upper lip – is to spike the mannerist touches with plausible and vivid realistic detail. Diego Rivera’s eyes are two navels sunk in flesh, the plump fish lips are minimized by the fat moon face. His beard is a seethe of ants. There is an element of brilliant pudgy caricature.

Diego Rivera met Modigliani while he was studying in Paris and both of them were living in La Ruche, a building buzzing with artists. Like Modigliani, the Mexican artist Rivera also had Jewish ancestry and came from a distinguished back ground. Just like Modigliani, Rivera ultimately moved away from his classical and academic training to forge his own distinct artistic style.

Rivera was dramatically influenced by the very old church frescoes of Italy. He became convinced that art should belong to all the people, not merely the wealthy. He believed that poor and working people needed art the most. He joined the Mexican Communist party in 1922. Rivera helped to obtain asylum for the Russian revolutionary, Leon Trotsky.

Rivera’s Mural paintings are world famous. His art works can be viewed at the museums in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Buenos Aires.

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