Annie Bjarne 1919

Modigliani painted Annie Bjarne with oils on canvas, using long curving brushstrokes. Just imagine him, perhaps in a cramped studio, the air thick with the smell of paint, squinting at his model, Annie. It’s easy to see Modigliani’s love of elongated forms. The way he’s stretched Annie's neck and face, it’s almost like he’s searching for an ideal, or maybe just playing with the idea of beauty itself. The colors are warm, reds and browns, but there’s a coolness too, in the blues and greys of her dress. Look at the hands. They're clasped tightly, painted in a way that feels both delicate and a little anxious. I wonder what Annie was thinking as she sat there, posing? Was she bored, or lost in her own thoughts? What was Modigliani thinking? Was he aware of the many artists who came before him? In the end, we artists, we are all in conversation. Painting is an ongoing thing. It's not about perfect answers; it’s about the questions we ask along the way.