''Reclining Nude on Blue Cushion'' (French: ''Nu Couché au coussin Bleu'') is an oil on canvas painting by Italian artist

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...

created in 1916. The painting is one of the dozens of nudes created by Modigliani between 1916 and 1919.

Description

The nudes of this period are "displayed boldly, with only the faintest suggestion of setting.... neither demure nor provocative, they are depicted with a degree of objectivity. Yet the uniformly thick, rough application of paint—as if applied by a sculptor's hand—is more concerned with mass and the visceral perception of the female body than with titillation and the re-creation of translucent, tactile flesh". Simultaneously abstracted and erotically detailed, they exhibit a formal grace, referencing nude figures of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

while at the same time objectifying their subjects' sexuality; they "exemplify his position between tradition and modernism".

Provenance

In 2012, the painting was acquired by Russian businessman and collector

Dmitry Rybolovlev Dmitry Yevgenyevich Rybolovlev (, ; born 22 November 1966) is a Russian oligarch, billionaire businessman, and investor. Rybolovlev became chairman of the Russian fertilizer producer Uralkali in 1995. In 2010, he sold his majority share of ...

from billionaire Stephen Cohen of S.A.C. Capital Advisors for $118 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reclining Nude on Blue Cushion category:1916 paintings category:Nude paintings of women category:Paintings by Amedeo Modigliani