Saturday, January 1, 2011

Federico Beltran Masses Painting of Pola Negri and Rudolph Valentino

This is a wonderful painting of Pola and Rudy. It depicts Rudy serenading her with a mandolin. I did take an art class in college, so let me analyze the interpretation here. I am unsure the date of the painting, my assumption is after Valentino's death. Notice how Valentino is in the shadows and Pola is front and center in the light. Her expression is sadness, almost daydreaming. I feel she is imagining Valentino serenading her, which explains the depressed look on her face. Ok, enough artistic interpretation, anyway, that is how I see it. This was painted by Federico Beltran Masses, who was one of Rudy's friends. He painted numerous portraits of Valentino while he was alive. Original pieces of art from Beltran Masses that depict Valentino are extremely rare and obviously quite valuable.

5 comments:

  1. she looks more like Natacha, the headdress and that stare.

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  2. That is a great point, she really does look like Natacha, maybe the artist did that on purpose. There I go again with my artistic interpretation.

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  3. There can be no doubt that this was done after Rudy's death--he wouldn't have allowed it during his lifetime.

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  4. Maybe it was made for Pola. I really do not have a great deal of information on this painting. I do find it intriguing that Pola has a Natacha-esk look to her.

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  5. it's pola she was the one that's got her 'beauty spot right next to her eye and she was the first to paint her nails on red colour as stupid as it's sounds it's true..which everything you'll see if you'll get to -somehow look at it closely.. so yeah it's pola

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