Girl with Pigtails 1918

Modigliani painted this portrait, Girl with Pigtails, with oil on canvas sometime in the early twentieth century. Modigliani uses a limited palette, mostly warm reddish hues, which gives the painting an overall feeling of warmth and intimacy. It’s interesting to consider how the painting may have evolved in the making through the repeated layering of colour and tone, almost like he’s building up the image from the inside out. Look closely at the way Modigliani renders the girl's face and skin. The paint is applied in thin, translucent layers, allowing the underlying colours to subtly show through. Notice how the delicate brushstrokes create a sense of depth and volume, particularly around her cheeks and eyes. See those eyes? They’re like windows to the soul, painted with such precision and care. Modigliani's portraits, with their elongated features and melancholic expressions, share a certain affinity with the work of artists like Gustav Klimt, who explored similar themes of beauty, desire, and the human condition. But Modigliani’s work feels distinctly modern. It invites us to contemplate the complexities of human emotion and experience.