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.

Early life

Boldini was born in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

, 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.

Career

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. From 1872 he lived in Paris, where he became a friend of

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

. 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 John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

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.Steingräber, 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. . In 1897 he had a solo exhibition in New York. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1895, 1903, 1905, and 1912. Boldini died in Paris on 11 January 1931. 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
Domergue Domergue is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Faith Domergue (1924–1999), American film actress *François-Urbain Domergue (1745–1810), French grammarian and journalist *Jacques Domergue (born 1953), French politician ...
s 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.

After his death, his work continued to be exhibited around the world. An exhibition of his work was held in 1938, seven years after his death, at the Newhouse Galleries in New York City.

Works

Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini.jpg, ''

Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi ''Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi'' is an 1886 pastel portrait of Giuseppe Verdi by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini, now in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, in Rome. History In March 1886, Verdi was in Paris to hear on stage Victor Maurel ...

'', 1886 Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931) - A Portrait of John Singer Sargent.jpg, ''Portrait of

'', Montesquiou, Robert de - Boldini.jpg, ''Portrait of Robert de Montesquiou'', 1897 Boldini, Anita de la Ferie.jpg, ''Portrait of Anita de la Ferie'' (the Spanish Dancer), 1900 Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), La Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957) con un levriero.jpg, ''Portrait of La Marchesa Luisa Casati with greyhound'', 1908 Cécile Murat Ney d'Elchingen (1867-1960), by Giovanni Boldini.jpg, ''Portrait of the Princess Cécile Murat, Ney d'Elchingen'', 1910 Portrait of Rita de Acosta Lydig by Giovanni Boldini.jpg, ''Portrait of

Rita de Acosta Lydig Rita Hernandez de Alba de Acosta Stokes Lydig (October 1, 1875 – October 27, 1929) was an American socialite named by one observer as "the most picturesque woman in America." She was photographed by Adolf de Meyer, Edward Steichen, and Ge ...

'', 1911 Boldini Marthe de Florian.jpg, Portrait of the actress Marthe de Florian

In popular culture

Boldini is a character in the ballet ''

Franca Florio, regina di Palermo ''Franca Florio, regina di Palermo'' is a full-length narrative ballet in two acts, with music by Lorenzo Ferrero and scenario, choreography and staging by Luciano Cannito. A commission by the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the work premiered there ...

'', written in 2007 by the Italian composer

Lorenzo Ferrero Lorenzo Ferrero (; born 1951) is an Italian composer, librettist, author, and book editor. He started composing at an early age and has written over a hundred compositions thus far, including twelve operas, three ballets, and numerous orchestral ...

, 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 The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

. 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. 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 ''A Paris Apartment'' is a novel by Michelle Gable. Set in Paris, France, the book follows a Sotheby's auctioneer who discovers a wide range of antiques and collectibles in an apartment that had been locked for 70 years. It was first published by ...

''.

References

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. *T. Panconi, S. Gaddi, ''Giovanni Boldini'' (catalogo della mostra di Roma - Venaria Reale To), Skira editore, Milano 2017

External links

*
Virtual Gallery and reference

Giovanni Boldini Macchiaioli museum, archive, expertise and reference77 works by Giovanni Boldini
biography at valutarte.it

at th
John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery
at ArtCyclopedia
Giovanni Boldini Gallery

The photo gallery with the best female portraits by Boldiniwikiart.org
Growing public domain of Boldini's paintings * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boldini, Giovanni 1842 births 1931 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters Italian portrait painters Painters from Ferrara Recipients of the Legion of Honour Artists from Paris Italian emigrants to France 19th-century Italian male artists 20th-century Italian male artists