Reclining nude with Arms Folded under Her Head 1916

Amedeo Modigliani made this painting of a reclining nude with arms folded under her head with oil on canvas. I can imagine him playing with that warm, orangey flesh tone, pushing it around against the darker background, trying to get that glowing quality just right. It's like he's feeling his way through the form, simplifying and elongating it. I bet he was thinking about the way other artists had depicted the nude, like Titian or Goya, but he's doing his own thing, pushing it towards something more modern, more raw. The way he outlines her body with that dark line gives it this kind of graphic quality, like a drawing that's been filled in with paint. It's like he's saying, "This is my version of beauty, and it's not perfect, but it's real." And that's what I love about painting – it's a conversation across time, artists building on each other's ideas, challenging each other, and ultimately creating something new.