Woman with Red Hair 1917

Modigliani painted this "Woman with Red Hair" with oils, using gentle brushstrokes. He built up the painting slowly and surely from cool greys and blues to warm, peachy hues. Looking at the canvas, I imagine Modigliani, in his own way, trying to simplify, to clarify, to find the essence of form. The woman's pose is classic, but her gaze is inward, almost melancholic. I wonder what Modigliani was thinking as he elongated her neck? It’s a stylistic choice, of course, but also a way of imbuing her with elegance and vulnerability. And it makes me think about the way she holds herself. There’s something about the angle of her head, the way her hand rests on the chair, that suggests a story. It makes me wonder, who was she? What was her relationship to Modigliani? Painters, we're all in conversation with each other. Modigliani, in turn, was surely inspired by others who came before him. We take what we need and make something new. That’s how art evolves.