Boy in a Striped Sweater 1918

Modigliani made Boy in a Striped Sweater using oil on canvas, and what strikes me is how the blue of the jacket bleeds into the blue of the background. He’s working with a limited palette, but it’s a very specific one. I'm interested in the relationship between the child’s features and the material handling. There’s an awkwardness to the proportions, his hands in particular. But there's this real tenderness in the application of the paint. Look how Modigliani builds up the form of the face and hands, using small, directional brushstrokes, almost like he’s caressing the surface. It's like the painting itself is a stand in for a bodily encounter. Modigliani reminds me of Marie Laurencin, another artist preoccupied with elongated figures. Both artists are interested in exploring the psychological and emotional dimensions of portraiture. They find a kind of truth that exists beyond mere representation. That's what I love about art, it's always reaching for something just out of grasp.