June 27, 2007

Vermeer, Modigliani...

A couple of weeks ago (May 14), I made a patchwork of graffiti that I had found on some closed shop stores in my neighborhood. I left two out, as they differed too much from the other ones and certainly not could be considered as tags.

I found these two ones, rue Cavalotti. When I passed was a Sunday – the reason the stores were closed – and nobody around to ask, but I have later found out that the two examples I can show you here actually were part of a series of similar ones in the same street, made in the late 90’s and supposed to represent different famous painters. These two are the only ones still in fairly good shape.

I would believe that the idea was not have paintings made as pure copies, but rather “à la manière de”, as if they had been painted by X. Anyhow, I have desperately looked for what could have been the originals, but have not found them.

One is as a “Vermeer” and the closest I could among the – unfortunately – very limited number of Vermeer paintings was “Lady in Blue”. The same lady seems to be more or less copied, but the fantastic Vermeer touch is of course missing. Anyhow, I don’t think that the “store artist” pretended to make anything as well as Vermeer; could anybody ever?

The other one is a “Modigliani” and also here I failed to find the original. I found one with a woman sitting in a similar position, although the baby is missing, and another one with a lady with a similar haircut. That’s the closest I could come, but the number of Modigliani paintings is of course much larger than the Vermeer ones.

Please feel free to look for the originals. I may be wrong.

19 comments:

Shionge said...

OMG! This is so beautiful...graffiti? More like a piece of artwork Peter.....stunting!!

Keshi said...

OMG these r very beautiful paintings!! Not graffiti at all!

I'd love to have one in my living room. That wud be so perfect!

Keshi.

Ming the Merciless said...

In love Modigliani. There was a retrospective exhibition of his work in NYC three years ago and I got to see it. Iit was amazing.

I'm not very familiar with Vermeer's work.

Cergie said...

J'adore, j'adore ce post !
Ce sont sûrement des peintures du même artiste non ? (Je veux dire les reproductions, et c'est vraiment un travail d'artiste)

La petite brunette, c'est sans doute Jeanne, le modèle et la compagne de Modigliani qui enceinte s'est jetée par la fenêtre après son décès (tuberculose)
Elle avait été rejetée par sa famille intolérante
Elle a été enterrée pour finir près de son amant au cimetière du père Lachaise

Il y a eu une très belle expo Modigliani au palais du Luxembourg.

Olivier said...

on trouve de veritable tresors à Paris. c'est vraiment superbe, un bel hommage aux grands peintres.
C'est une tres bonne idee, cela change des grilles toutes grises et toutes tristes.

Anonymous said...

vraiment tu me fais découvrir Paris autrement!

hpy said...

I guess they are paintings INSPIRED BY, and not pretending to be copies, as you rightly pointed out.
Je crois qu'il est arrivé à des vrais faussaires de prendre des détails sur plusieurs tableaux afin d'en faire un nouveau, et essayer de le faire passer pour un vrai.
But this was certainly not the pretention this time.

SusuPetal said...

Good inspiration! And beautiful to watch.

EMNM said...

This is a beautiful graffiti
I hate graffities, but this one i like it so much

Anonymous said...

You made an interesting post, I love both painters' work. At least these are not chalk on the sidewalk that will wash away.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post, Peter. I found the story to be fascinating. And it brought back a series of memories. I can relate one that is like these paintings.

I was in West Palm Beach, Florida to do a television series and was staying at an industrialist's house in Del Ray Beach, Florida. He gave me the keys to his house and when I unlocked the front door I found the house filled with famous art. Some of the most famous paintings and sculpture were just there hanging on the walls and sitting on tables. I was astonished that such expensive things were left in the house and I was using the house. I mean I could walk out with any of it.

When I went to the studios the first morning to begin taping the series, I mentioned this and the television producers told me that they are all fakes. I checked and to be sure they are the work of a master forger who signs his work on the back as a fake. It would take a museum curator to tell the difference.

Abraham Lincoln
I posted about a Baby Rabbit
Brookville Daily Photo

lyliane six said...

Oh, ces tags là, je les aime beaucoup et ces 2 peintres aussi, les vrais comme les faussaires qui ont magnifiquement reproduits ces tableaux d'ailleurs.

Lilli & Nevada said...

well this is better graffatti than what most we find here on walls and where ever, just beautiful

isa said...

Have you attended Modigliani exhibition in 2002 at the Musée du Luxembourg? Great stuff, well worth the long line ;-)

Whether the street artist was inspired by or copied the original art, it is good enough to stand on its own, in my opinion.

Peter said...

cergie:
I don't know who is the artist or artists who made these paintings. Actually, the shops seem to be closed and I don't know how to find out.

You are right; the Modigliani originals must of course be of Jeanne. Terrible. As you say, she comitted suicide, at the age of 22, nine months pregnant, two days after the death of Amedeo (who was 36). They already had a daughter. And as you also say, Jeanne's body was later removed from where she was originally buried and she now rests in the same grave as Amadeo at le Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

There was of course a impossible situation with Jeanne's parents being viloently against their realationship.

abraham:
Thanks for your interesting story. Yes, there are some very skilled - and honest - "falsifiers".

isabella:
No, I missed it, unfortunately.

All others:
Thanks for your comments!

Anonymous said...

Fascinating post, Peter. There's so much to discover in our towns and cities every day. And with just a little bit of investigation and research, we get stimulated in other directions. Same goes for the next post "Paloma" which starts of as a simple bird photo. I'm enjoying your blog more and more, though how you get so much detail in everyday is beyond me (never mind the commenting!)

Mona said...

wonderful post! Yes The baby is missing in the second . I saw the print of the original!

black feline said...

i heard of someone who became famous and rich..just doing graffti arts...

Anonymous said...

http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/girl_reading_a_letter_by_an_open_window.html
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/mistress_and_maid.html
these are the other two - but brilliant street art, anyway