The Italian 1917

Modigliani captured a seated woman, known as ‘The Italian’, using oils on canvas. Look at the painting's surface, those warm hues of peach and cool greens, all those flat planes that come together to suggest a figure in a space. Imagine Modigliani applying thin layers, building up the image with subtle shifts in tone. What was he thinking as he elongated the face and simplified the features, searching for a form that captures both likeness and a sense of inner life? The hands seem carefully placed, telling some sort of story. The Italian’s angularity echoes the work of Cézanne, and the flattened perspective recalls early Italian Renaissance painting. Yet, Modigliani was very much his own artist, distilling these influences into a singular vision. He was part of a community of artists who were in dialogue with the art of the past, while inventing new forms of expression for their time. Painting is this ongoing conversation, with each artist contributing their unique voice to the chorus.