Portrait of Jeanne Herbuterne 

Amedeo Modigliani painted this oil on canvas portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne, one of many he made of her, in France sometime before 1920. Modigliani had arrived in Paris in 1906, a period of intense artistic experimentation. The artist assimilated the formal language of Post-Impressionism while also drawing inspiration from non-Western sources like African masks. This work reflects those influences, which, in their time, were radically changing how the art world thought about representation. Modigliani painted his subject with an elongated neck, almond eyes, and simplified features. He was working against academic traditions in which the skills of naturalistic representation were prized. His focus was not on capturing a likeness of his subject but on conveying something of her essence, perhaps reflecting the spiritualist and philosophical ideas then current. Looking at the painting today, we need to understand the context in which it was produced and exhibited. Art historical research can help us to analyze the cultural values that shape artistic production.