Paris, 1917. In the effervescence of Montparnasse, Modigliani paints. Before him, a young woman with an enigmatic gaze. Her identity remains unknown, but her face traverses the century.
An Immediately Recognizable Style
The neck stretches in a graceful, almost unreal curve. The almond-shaped green eyes fix on a point beyond the viewer. The oval face presents that characteristic distortion that forms Modigliani’s signature. The palette consists of warm tones: ochres, deep browns, vermilion red of the lips. The architectural background, treated in dark flat areas, creates a sober setting for this hieratic figure. The brushwork is fluid, the oil paint applied in subtle layers. The black of the garment contrasts with the milky pallor of the skin, enhanced by a mysterious yellow touch on the décolletage.
Montparnasse, Laboratory of Modernity
In World War I Paris, Montparnasse becomes the refuge of artists. Modigliani mingles there with Picasso, Soutine, Cocteau. He then develops a unique pictorial language, inspired by African art and the Italian primitives. His portraits of women capture the spirit of the times: nascent feminine emancipation, exploration of new forms of expression. This work testifies to his quest for a timeless, refined, almost mystical beauty.
Amedeo Modigliani, the Cursed Painter
Born in Livorno, Modigliani (1884-1920) trained briefly in Florence and Venice before joining Paris in 1906. His bohemian life, marked by illness and alcohol, nourishes his legend. He died at 35, leaving a singular body of work, influenced by primitive art and the Quattrocento, focused on portraiture and the female nude.
Think about it
💭 This unknown woman has been watching us for over a century. What was she seeking in the painter’s eyes?
About this work
- Portrait of a Woman
- Amedeo Modigliani
- circa 1917-1918
- Oil on canvas
- 65 x 48.3 cm (25 9/16 x 19 in.)
- The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund
- 1951.358
- https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1951.358
