An Appreciation:
​Giovanni Boldini

Giovanni Boldini self-portrait

 Italian-born artist Giovanni Boldini was the most successful portrait painter in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. His unique fluid style was non-traditional and helped to free portraiture for the modern age.

The artist was born in Ferrara, Italy on December 31, 1842, the eighth of 13 children. His father was an artist who painted religious subjects and who provided Giovanni with his first artistic training. Small in stature, Boldini was excused from military service.

In 1862, Boldini moved to Florence where he stayed for six years. He did some study at the Academy of Fine Arts but the most significant artistic event for him was his involvement with the Macchiaioli, a group of young rebels who wanted to modernize Italian art. As a result of this meeting, Boldini's style began to shift from the traditional to a looser, more flowing style.

Moving to London, Boldini became a portrait painter. His clients included members of the upper class and the titled aristocracy.

In 1872, Boldini moved to Paris, which was to be his permanent home. Once again, Boldini developed a successful portrait practice, especially among fashionable ladies. He was also commissioned to paint a portrait by one of the most famous celebrities of the day Giuseppe Verdi.

Other artists including Edgar Degas and John Singer Sargent appreciated Boldini's work. His portraits were a marked departure from earlier portraiture. They were not mere likenesses. Boldini's flowing forms verged on abstraction and his choice of colors helped to produce energy.

Of course, it was not the artistic merit of Boldini's work that attracted clients. Rather, he had the ability to make his subjects look exciting, elegant and glamorous.

Boldini exhibited regularly at the prestigious Paris Salon and was invited several times to the Venice Biennale. He also had a solo exhibition in New York. In 1919, he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government.

After World War I as Modernism and abstraction became predominate in the art world, Boldini's fame faded. The focus of his art shifted to landscapes, genre scenes and nudes. He also made more use of mediums such as watercolor and pastels.

He also remained active in Paris society. Indeed, he married at age 86 in 1929.

Bondini died of pneumonia in Paris in 1931.

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Above: La Marchesa Lusia Casati with her Greyhounds.
Below: Gladys Deacon.

Above: In addition to portraits of fashionable ladies, Boldini did portraits of men including Giuseppe Verdi (left) and Boldini's friend and colleague John Singer Sargent (right).

​Below: Boldini also painted ladscapes such as "In the Garden".

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Art appreciation - Giovanni Boldini