about this show...
"Interpretive Studies of Modigliani Nudes" is another phase of an ongoing developing body of work inspired by the life and work of Amadeo Modigliani, the famous 20th century Italian painter. I have been profoundly influenced by his work over the years and deeply touched by the turbulence and difficulty of his personal life and its similarities in certain respects to my own. It has deepend my appreciation not only of Modigliani the master, but of Modigliani the man. His uncompromising independence, artistic genius and notorious tendency toward self destruction were a reflection of the internal schism from which we all suffer, the perennial conflict between the human spirit and a false, diminished sense of self that opposes it in every way.
I offer the work in this show as a tribute to Modigliani and the great spirit that inspired his work and shaped his life. The portrait of Modigliani on the homepage of this show was developed digitally from the pencil drawing of him below that I rendered on new year's day in 1994 from a rare photograph. Little did I realize at the time how important this introduction to his work was to be for me and how profound and pervasive his influence would become.
Denise Marts
Redmond, Washington
2008
425-802-1945
© copyright 2008, Denise C. Marts, all rights reserved