Young Girl in a Striped Shirt 1917

Modigliani painted this young girl in a striped shirt using oils, though when he did and where, exactly, remains a mystery. The palette is subdued, almost as if he’s whispering the colors rather than shouting them. It’s that kind of quiet, intimate moment. Look at the surface – see how the paint is applied in thin, washy layers? It's not about building up texture, it's more like he’s trying to capture a fleeting impression, like a memory fading at the edges. The brushstrokes are visible, especially in the background, where they swirl around like thoughts. And notice how the vertical stripes on her shirt echo the verticality of the whole composition, drawing your eye up and down, almost like a visual sigh. Modigliani always reminds me a little bit of Egon Schiele, another master of elongated forms and psychological intensity. But where Schiele is all jagged edges and raw nerves, Modigliani has this incredible tenderness, a gentle touch that makes you want to lean in closer. It’s a painting that invites you to contemplate, to feel, rather than to simply understand.