Around 1915 -1919 · Paul Guillaume and the modern portrait

At the Orangery, Modigliani paints the merchant who supports him, but also anonymous or poorly documented models. Inscription, gaze, ribbon and posture give each person a distinct presence.

The link between Modigliani and Paul Guillaume structures the ensemble preserved at the Musée de l'Orangerie. Presented to the young merchant by Max Jacob in 1914, the artist received support, purchases and a workshop from him in Montmartre. In Paul Guillaume, Novo Pilota, painted in 1915, the twenty-three-year-old model poses as a dandy in front of a red background. The inscriptions in capitals borrow from advertising and the Italian avant-garde; "new pilot" designates the one who must guide the painting modern. Antonia, sitting face down near a window and a curtain, builds another relationship to the decor. Red-haired girl concentrates the portrait on the bust, the hair and the sobriety of the background. The Young Apprentice, painted between 1917 and 1919, extends the pose to a young man seated and leaning. Together, these works show that Modiglianesque elongation remains attentive to profession, age, clothing and attitude. The selection "Modigliani at the Musée de l’Orangerie" puts particularly with regard to Paul Guillaume, Novo Pilota and Antonia. His reading favors movement.

Paul Guillaume becomes a "pilot" through the painted text; other models do not need registration, because their posture already organizes their identity.