The second half of the 19th century must have been a period of "rich" European artistic masterpieces. This prosperity may come from the development of Rational Thought and Industrial Civilization in Europe, and under the impetus of these internal factors, society has entered a stable and prosperous stage.
When mentioning the artists of this period, it is easy to think of those artists who are closely related to the background of the times: Courbet, Miller, and Rousseau, who embarked on the road of realism driven by rational thought; French Impressionists, who rose to prominence due to the development of optical technology, representing artists such as Monet and Degas; Van Gogh, author of "Starry Night", which fascinated countless people; Paul Cézanne, who opened the door to modern art...
However, there is an artist who uses a paintbrush to record the beautiful scene of the city, but in the gunfire of the First World War, it was prematurely forgotten.
Portrait of Princess Matt-Lucille Bibesca by Giovanni Bordini
G.Boldini, Portrait de la princesse Marthe-Lucile Bibesco, 1911 Huile sur toile Collection particulie reAll reproduction forbidden excepted for any communication document connected to the exhibition
This artist was Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), an Italian artist who excelled at depicting the "Belle Epoque" in Paris.
Today, the Petit Palais de Paris is hosting Bordini's large-scale solo exhibition "Joy and Time", which will last from March 29 to July 24, 2022.
After a hundred years, in the current thriving fashion capital of Paris, people have begun to reminisce about Bordini, so that the flourishing and grand "Belle Epoque" painting has once again entered the life of the people of Paris.
Giovanni Bordini's Portrait of Miss Bell
Giovanni Boldini, Portrait de Miss Bell, 1903, huile sur toile, Villa Grimaldi Fassio, Civica Raccolta Luigi Frugone (Musei di Nervi), Italie Musei di Nervi, Raccolte Frugone
The Petit Palais de Paris
The Bordini retrospective in France dates back more than 60 years. In this exhibition, the exhibition environment of the Petit Palais de Paris provides a very suitable atmosphere for the 150 exhibits.
The exhibits include paintings, drawings, prints, clothing and fashion accessories borrowed from museums around the world. In addition to the Giovanni Bordini Museum, these exhibits from many prestigious museums such as the Cavillmonte Museum, the National Portrait Of Britain, the Musée d'Orsay and many others show the audience the unquestioned status of Bordini – he is indeed a keen high-society observer and one of the brightest stars of the Paris art world in the "Belle Époque".
Sem (Georges Goursat dit), Chez Voisin, 1904 EstampeParis, muse e Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris Paris Muse es / Muse e Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris
Giovanni Bordini was born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1842. His father, Antoni Bordini, was a painter of religious themes and a portrait restorer with extensive connections in the art world.
Benefiting from this painter father, Bordini, who was also interested in painting, had the opportunity to enter the studios of local masters at a young age to observe and study, and created a series of portraits for aristocratic celebrities.
Giovanni Bordini," Fireworks
G.Boldini, Fireworks, 1892-1895 Oil on canvasFerrare, Museo Giovanni Boldini Ferrara, Museo Giovanni Boldini
Having built his artistic foundation early, he entered the prestigious Florence Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 20 to continue his studies, practicing the basic skills of painting and rigorous realism that must be possessed as an artist. At this time, he became acquainted with a group of realist artists and successfully established contacts with British painters and patrons.
These dealers and patrons brought him a large number of orders for landscape paintings and portraits. In addition to his commercial work, which was dominated by aristocratic families, he also painted portraits of the artists of the "Machia Ioli School" as friends.
Giovanni Bordini's Self-Portrait of Mondosoli
G. Boldini, Autoportrait de Montorsoli, 1892 Huile sur toileFlorence, Uffizi Galleries Gallery of Statues and Paintings of the Uffizi, With the permission of the Ministry of Culture
In 1871, bordini, who was already famous, traveled from London to Paris, France, where he began a 60-year artistic career in France. He felt the Paris of the "Belle Époque" and also depicted many street scenes of urban Paris. His earlier business dealings with the dealer Adolf Guppier also led him to deliberately turn his attention to the modern and lively atmosphere of Parisian life.
Giovanni Bordini, "Dialogue in the Café"
G. Boldini, Conversation au cafe , 1879 Oil on wood Francesca Dini Archive, Florence
As he gradually blended into the fashionable and advanced metropolitan life, Boldini indulged in interior portraiture. We can see scenes of life in his paintings – crochet-needle workers, women smoking cigarettes, models sitting in a quiet room, posing in a laid-back pose, but through Bordini's brushes to set off the relaxed and joyful atmosphere of the "Belle Époque" in Paris.
Giovanni Bordini, "Pente of Smoking"
G. Boldini, Berthe fumant, 1874 Oil on wood, Private collection, courtesy Concezione Ltd
Giovanni Bordini, "Calm Days"
G. Boldini, Quiet Days or Young Woman crocheted, 1875 Oil on canvasWilliamstown, The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Image courtesy Clark Art Institute. clarkart.edu
Two interior portraits modeled by Miss Pente are presented in the exhibition, painted in 1874 and 1875. In "Smoking Pente", Berthe sits in a slightly messy room with a golden frame and sofa, draped in a small blanket, and lies exaggeratedly on the sofa.
"Calm Days" returns the model to the daily family life of a 19th-century French woman. Belt put on a fashionable dress, and his posture was more stretched and casual.
Giovanni Bordini, Piazza pigal terminus
G.Boldini, Omnibus de la place Pigalle, circa 1882 Oil on wood Collection particulie re
The Industrial Revolution brought sound and light to Paris, and the power of technology ignited the city's night. After settling in Paris, Bordini carried paintings to and from restaurants and theaters every night – some of which were also frequented by the famous painters of the time, Degas, Lautrec, Manet and Renoir.
At night, Bordini is fascinated by the dramatic light and shadow produced by the electric lights, which, like the seemingly never-ending metropolis, bring him constant noise and commotion. For example, "The Scene of the Gathering at the Moulin Rouge" witnesses this metropolis caught in excitement.
Giovanni Bordini, "Scenes of a Party at the Moulin Rouge"
G. Boldini, Scène de fête au Moulin Rouge, circa 1889 Oil on canvas
Paris, Musée d'Orsay, accepted by the tat as a dation, 2010 Musée d'Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt
And it was in the year when he was still obsessed with painting and created "Scenes of a Gathering at the Moulin Rouge" that he ushered in one of the most crucial turns in his artistic career. The continuous improvement of technology and several changes in painting style did not give much progress to the artistic career of nearly 20 years, and it was the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition that really made Bordini famous. This exposition exhibited 12 of his portraits. And these portraits attracted not only many middle-class buyers who were interested in him, but also the overwhelming news comments — "one of the most capable painters of our time" and "high-value portrait painters."
Portrait of Emiliana Concha de Osa
G. Boldini, Portrait of Emiliana Concha de Ossa, circa 1888 Pastel on paper maroufle on canvas Collection particulie re
These positive comments made Bordini suddenly realize that after the creation period of genre painting and landscape painting, "social portraiture" is the "code" to open up the road to life. Since then, he has firmly grasped this point and strategically selected the objects depicted.
For example, his Portrait of Ms. Colin Campbell, painted in 1894, captured "social hot spots." Ms Campbell is the "sexy goddess" of the Victorian period in The United Kingdom, and the spokesperson of London's high society fashion, with an independent spirit and an innate literary talent. What really put Ms. Campbell in the social news was her divorce case with her husband. In this divorce case, Ms. Campbell, who is believed to be having an affair, is clearly more likely to be perceived by conventional wisdom as the perpetrator of the marital relationship.
Bordini very cleverly created a portrait of Ms. Campbell after the divorce. In the painting, Ms. Campbell is dressed in a low-cut black dress, and the artist uses the wrinkled light and shadow of the clothes to outline her graceful figure and make her gaze look confident and determined. The superposition of various details makes the protagonist in the painting look more charming and moving. As patron, Mrs. Campbell, 40, was quite pleased with Bordini's performance and has been treasured by the painting and eventually bequeathed to the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait of Ms. Colin Campbell by Giovanni Bordini
G. Boldini, Portrait de Lady Colin Campbell, ne e Gertrude Elizabeth Blood, 1894, huile sur toile,London, National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery, London
In 1912, the work was exhibited at the National Gallery of England and caused a sensation in the London art scene, as it was the first time that the National Gallery at the time exhibited the works of a living painter.
But who can deny Boldini's excellence? Those portraits with gorgeous and smooth brush strokes present the elegance and calmness of the upper class with bold composition and highly inflammatory expression.
Portrait of Lawrence Alexander Peter Harrison by Giovanni Bordini
G. Boldini, Portrait de Lawrence Alexander Peter Harrison, 1902 Huile sur toileCollection particulie re, Larry Ellison Private Collection, Larry Ellison
Portrait of Roberto de Montesquio by Giovanni Bordini
G. Boldini, Portrait of Count Robert de Montesquiou, 1897 Oil on canvasParis, muse e d'Orsay, gift of Henri Pinard in the name of Count Robert de Montesquiou, 1922Photo (C) RMN-Grand Palais (muse e d'Orsay) / Herve Lewandowski
The simple and elegant background, rich body language, the sight of the characters with a thousand words, and the skirt that flows like a clear wave of water make Bordini one of the spokespeople of the "Belle Epoque" style in Paris.
epilogue
As Proust, Bordini's most admired writer, put it, "Life is a difficult thing, it clings too closely to us and constantly hurts our souls." Once one feels the tightness of life and a moment of relaxation, one can feel the joy of transcendence. This quote comes from Proust's work of the same name in this exhibition, Joy and Time.
Bordini's modern approach, contrary to the avant-garde style, made the Parisian high society of the "Belle Époque" immortal on the canvas. Today, the works of Bordini on display in the Small Royal Palace in Paris carry this long-lost "moment of relaxation" to people.
Image source: Petit Palais de Paris
Some of the information is referenced from:
Huang Lingzi, "The Old Dream of Paris Hidden in Time: The Artistic Activities and Styles of Giovanni Bordini"
Dong Hongyu, "Bordini and his contemporaries: The Journey of Italian Painting from the "Exhibition of Fine Italian Paintings from the Late 19th to the Beginning of the 20th Century"