Young Woman in a Yellow Dress (Madame Modot) 1918

Amedeo Modigliani painted Young Woman in a Yellow Dress, probably in the late 1910s, using oil on canvas. The visible brushstrokes give us insight into Modigliani’s process. Notice how he has built up layers of paint to create depth and texture, particularly in the background, which has swirling patterns executed with gestural brushstrokes. In contrast, the figure of Madame Modot is rendered with smoother, more deliberate strokes, emphasizing her stillness and poise. The materiality of the paint itself plays a crucial role here. Modigliani’s engagement with the material and the techniques of painting, reflects his background in craft traditions, and his interest in challenging traditional hierarchies within the art world. The visible evidence of labor, from the mixing of pigments to the application of paint, reminds us that art is not just about aesthetic contemplation, but about the physical act of creation.