Young Woman in a Small Ruff 1915

Amedeo Modigliani painted "Young Woman in a Small Ruff" with oil on canvas, a traditional medium, but he handled it with a modernist sensibility. The paint is applied thinly, almost like a stain in areas, allowing the texture of the canvas to show through. This directness of process reveals Modigliani's interest in the fundamental qualities of his materials. The limited palette—earthy oranges, blacks, and greens—adds to the painting's stark simplicity, yet look closely at the facture of the paint and you'll notice a clear tension. Modigliani built up the image with layers of brushstrokes. This layering of color creates depth and volume, defining the subject's features with subtle gradations of tone. The visible brushwork also emphasizes the artist's hand, reminding us of the labor involved in the painting's creation. By focusing on the materials and the process, we can appreciate the nuances of Modigliani's technique and his engagement with broader social issues of labor, class, and artistic production.