Portrait of a Woman 1919

Amedeo Modigliani painted this portrait of a woman in oil on canvas, sometime in the early 20th century. You can see the loose brushwork across the pale green background, a gentle haze against which the figure emerges. I think of Modigliani in his studio, maybe in Paris, wrestling with form, trying to capture the essence of his sitter. The face is a study in simplification, those almond eyes, elongated nose, and small, pursed mouth. Look at the way he's used color to define the contours of her face, a delicate blush of pink against the ochre of her skin. It’s subtle, but it gives her face depth and volume. And that neck! So long, so elegant. It reminds me of some of the mannerist painters, like Parmigianino. I wonder if Modigliani was looking at them too? There's something timeless about this portrait, a sense of longing and introspection that speaks to me across the years. It’s like he’s captured a fleeting moment of human connection.