Self Portrait 1919

Amedeo Modigliani’s ‘Self Portrait’ is an oil painting, probably made in Paris sometime in the early 20th century. It’s all soft ochres, burnt oranges, and subdued blues. You can see the painting emerging in layers: thin washes of colour applied one after the other. I wonder what it must have been like to be Modigliani at that moment, paintbrush in hand, scrutinizing his own image. It feels like he’s caught between worlds, stuck in a moment of quiet contemplation, his features elongated in that signature Modigliani style. He’s got this palette in his left hand, covered in hues, and is dressed in a brown jacket with a blue scarf. Think about how Modigliani flattened and simplified forms, while still capturing something essential about the human spirit. What's so cool is how all these artists—Modigliani, Picasso, Cezanne, whoever— were looking at each other's work, riffing on ideas, trying to find new ways to see and paint the world. That's the beauty of painting; it's an endless conversation, a constant exploration of what it means to be human.