Jeanne Hebuterne 1919

This is a portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne, painted by Amedeo Modigliani using oil on canvas. The smoothness of the surface is the first thing to notice. Modigliani's application of the paint is seamless. He was working within a highly developed tradition of easel painting. The consistent surface doesn't allow for the texture of brushstrokes to emerge, and this directs the eye to the abstract composition of the painting as a whole. In that sense, it is an intellectual exercise, but also one of skilled labor. Modigliani belonged to an artistic community that saw itself as elevated above the common worker, but of course, he had to work to produce these paintings and to sell them. And, in the end, what seems effortless in this picture is actually a product of all that intense, focused, and constant labor. It is through this process that we come to a richer understanding of the art itself.