Amedeo MODIGLIANI writes to his astrologer friend, Conrad Moricand.

Amedeo MODIGLIANI (1884.1920)

Autograph letter signed to the astrologer Conrad Moricand.

One page in-8° on graph paper. (Paris). November 8, 1916.

Extraordinary and moving letter from Modigliani, of graceful and melancholy poetry, writing for the sake of writing, chatting under the Moon.

Nov. 8, 1916.
The 9th full moon.

Cherissime Astrologer

I am writing to you not to tell you anything.
I continue, I will continue.

I write to write.

Farewell.
Modigliani.

On the back of the letter, an annotation in Moricand's hand indicates the route to go to rue de l'Odéon, to Adrienne Monnier's bookstore, Modigliani's regular refuge.

Bohemian aristocrat and astrologer from Montmartre, Conrad Moricand (1887.1954) held an open table at his home in Pigalle, frequented by his painter and writer friends. Author of numerous treatises on Astrology and Occult Sciences, leading a bohemian existence, Moricand became friends with many Parisian artists, including Max Jacob (who prefaced his work Les Interprètes ), Anaïs Nin, Blaise Cendrars, Henry Miller and Modigliani therefore.

Modigliani produced, between 1916 and 1918, several sketches of Moricand as well as two oils on canvas depicting him in bust.

This letter, which could appear, at first glance, as the fruit of a delirium or a night of Modiglian drunkenness, nevertheless suggests a symbolic statement by the artist, given the specialty of the recipient, Conrad Moricand.

Numerous drawings and testimonies confirm Modigliani's very pronounced interest in signs and occult sciences. Olivier Renault in his book Your real duty is to save your dream (Éditions Mille et une nuits, 2020), specifies on this subject: “ Modigliani became interested quite early in hermeticism and mystical alchemy. According to his mother, at the age of fifteen, a slightly older friend introduced him to spiritualism. »

The precision of the lunar position, indicated at the top of this letter, is reminiscent of a similar note that he inscribed on the side of a portrait of Max Jacob in 1915: “ the growing moon ”. In addition to a brotherhood between the two artists, undoubtedly accentuated by the fact that they were both born on the same day (July 12), Max Jacob was an essential link between Modigliani and Conrad Moricand since it was he who prefaced it, in 1919 , the astrologer's work, The Interpreters . Max Jacob, of course, also frequented, like Conrad Moricand (as the back of this letter confirms) the Maison des Amis du Livre , the bookstore opened by Adrienne Monnier in 1915, which would become a mecca in the literary sphere of this era.

More generally, the popular enthusiasm aroused by space and astrological themes is not unrelated to the passage of comet Halley on May 19, 1910, which was at the origin of a revival of superstitions throughout the world. . Modigliani also alluded to it the day before in a letter addressed to his friend Paul Alexandre: “ The comet (until ten minutes to 6 at least) is not arriving. Terrible ! ".

On the other hand, the formulas used here by Modigliani, “ I write to you not to tell you anything ” and “ I write to write ” could just as easily imply possible innuendoes of the painter implicitly encouraging Moricand to analyze his writing, in the hope of being able to read in it the promise of a more lenient future, after a year which marked for the painter his break with Béatrice Hastings, a British poet and art critic, whom he met in 1914.

It is these formulas which also give all their poetic power to this letter, thus echoing the well-known passion of the one who knew Divine Comedy by heart and recited poems while walking in the streets or while working.

However, Modigliani does not yet know, at the time of writing this letter, that it was only around ten days later that he would meet Leopold Zborowsi, one of the greatest merchants of his time, who would become the one of his faithful friends, on the occasion of the first exhibition “ Lyre et Palette ”, organized by Emile Lejeune and Blaise Cendrars, from November 19 to December 5, 1916 in Montparnasse.

This letter, behind an apparent veil of mystery, lets us guess, in reality, very rich aspects of Amedeo Modigliani and his work. It reveals all the poetry of a fiery and dreamy artist, whose very calligraphy seems to transcribe all the passion and boldness.