Portrait of Paul Alexander on green background 1909

Amedeo Modigliani made this portrait of Paul Alexander with oil on canvas. Look at the way he laid down those strokes, right? It's like he's feeling his way through the image, not just copying what's in front of him. I can almost feel Modigliani's hand moving as he painted the green background. It’s not just a flat, boring green, but layered, like he kept changing his mind, shifting it, building it up. It’s like he's inviting us into his own process of seeing. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, adding a touch of red or blue to get it just right. That hand on the hip, though, it’s so Modigliani – elegant, a little bit aloof. You can see echoes of Cézanne and maybe even some early Picasso in the way he simplifies the forms. Painting is a conversation.