Diego Rivera 1915

Modigliani drew this portrait of Diego Rivera, likely in pencil or ink, sometime in the early 20th century. It’s a drawing all about the life of the line, how it can suggest form without fully committing. Look at Rivera’s face, those closed eyes made with simple, curved strokes. It’s almost like Modigliani is inviting us to complete the picture, to imagine Rivera's gaze. And then there’s the pipe, clutched in his hand, rendered with such a confident, looping line. It’s not just a pipe; it's a symbol of contemplation, of Rivera lost in thought. The sketchiness gives it immediacy. You know, looking at this, I’m reminded of Picasso's line drawings. Both artists had this incredible ability to distill a subject down to its essence with just a few marks. Ultimately, art is about this ongoing conversation, isn't it? A dialogue across time, where artists borrow, steal, and transform ideas.