Portrait of Vallin 1918

Amedeo Modigliani made this drawing, ‘Portrait of Vallin’, with pencil on paper. It’s all subtle gestures and delicate lines. I can imagine Modigliani in his studio, or perhaps a cafe, quickly sketching Vallin. There's a real sense of immediacy, like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment. Look at how the lines define the form, but also leave so much to the imagination. I wonder what Vallin was thinking, what the atmosphere was like in that room? The quick strokes around the face and hands, they’re not just lines, they’re like whispers of movement, hinting at the energy of the scene. It’s like a dance between the artist and the subject, each informing the other. It reminds me of other drawings I’ve seen, where artists are just thinking with a pencil. I love the way artists can have conversations across time through their work, riffing on each other’s ideas and approaches. It's this ongoing dialogue that keeps art alive, full of possibilities.