Portrait of Madame Zborowska 1917

Amedeo Modigliani painted this portrait of Madame Zborowska, we don’t know exactly when, with oils on canvas. You can really see the brushwork here, the way he laid down the paint in these long, confident strokes. It's almost sculptural, like he's building up the form with each pass of the brush. Look at the face, especially. It's all warm oranges and yellows, but there's a surprising amount of depth there, too. The paint isn’t overworked or blended too much; there’s a simplicity to it. What I love most about this piece is that Modigliani is not trying to capture a likeness, but rather a feeling, an essence. I see a connection to artists like Henri Matisse, who was also interested in simplifying form and using color to express emotion. Both artists invite us to slow down, look closely, and embrace ambiguity.