Marie 1918

Editor: So here we have Amedeo Modigliani’s “Marie,” painted in 1918 using oil paint. There's something immediately striking about the almost mask-like quality of her face. How do you interpret this work, especially within the context of its time? Curator: What interests me is how Modigliani, an Italian artist working in Paris during World War I, appropriates and refashions elements of both Renaissance portraiture and Primitivism. Notice the elongated face, reminiscent of Italian Mannerist painting. How do you think that stylistic choice plays out during the Great War? Editor: I suppose the stylization pulls away from direct realism. It's like a retreat into artifice during a time of very raw reality. Could the flatness also reflect a detachment or perhaps even a sense of alienation, prevalent after the mass slaughter of WWI? Curator: Precisely. And consider the influence of non-Western art, the so-called Primitivism. Modigliani’s simplified forms and almond-shaped eyes recall African masks and sculptures which were being exhibited and collected in Paris at the time. The painting challenges the conventional standards of beauty that prevailed. Would you agree it makes a social statement? Editor: Absolutely, I see it now! It's like Modigliani's Marie stands at the intersection of tradition and a burgeoning modern, multicultural society, defying the conventional art establishment. The work seems to be less about the individual, and more about broader questions of representation and cultural identity, even! Curator: And isn’t that shift of emphasis fascinating? Focusing on those dynamics really changes my understanding of Modigliani's goals in this portrait, too. Thanks! Editor: It definitely clarified some things for me, too, especially the connection to art history and social issues.