Caryatid
Amedeo Modigliani, Italian, 1884 - 1920
Geography:
Made in France, Europe
Date:
c. 1912-14Medium:
Blue crayon over graphite on beige wove paperDimensions:
Sheet: 24 x 18 inches (61 x 45.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
Prints, Drawings, and PhotographsObject Location:
1950-134-150Credit Line:
The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950
Made in France, Europe
Date:
c. 1912-14Medium:
Blue crayon over graphite on beige wove paperDimensions:
Sheet: 24 x 18 inches (61 x 45.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
Prints, Drawings, and PhotographsObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1950-134-150Credit Line:
The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950
This drawing, a preparatory sketch for a sculpture, is one of a series of caryatids Modigliani created between 1912 and 1914. Unlike their classical precursors, which were always draped in long robes, Modigliani's caryatids are nude. The artist referred to them as "columns of tenderness" and planned to incorporate them into an imaginary "temple of beauty." Only one of the sculptures, now in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was ever completed.
