Portrait of Vallin 1918

This is Modigliani’s portrait of Vallin, a pencil drawing on paper, and you can see the art making as a process, the ghost of lines. He’s felt his way into representing his sitter. The materiality here is all about line. How Modigliani renders a likeness, and a feeling. See how the simple contour of Vallin’s cap creates a sense of volume, while the quick strokes defining his hands suggest movement and energy. It's like he's captured Vallin in a moment of contemplation. He's in thought, or about to speak. There’s a real economy of line and, to me, it speaks to the influence of artists like Toulouse-Lautrec, who were masters of capturing the essence of a figure with minimal means, and also hints at Modigliani's sculptural pursuits. It's all about getting the most from the least, and that's something I really appreciate in art. The ambiguity is where the work lives!