Nude on sofa (Almaisa) 1916

Amedeo Modigliani made this oil painting, Nude on sofa (Almaisa), without a specific date, on canvas. It’s like Modigliani is inviting us into a private, intimate world, rendered in a palette of earthy reds and browns. The paint isn't trying to hide anything; it's thin and lets the texture of the canvas peek through, reminding us that this is, after all, just paint on a surface. Look at the way the flesh tones are built up, layer upon layer, with these subtle gradations that give her form depth. Then there's that dark outline defining her shape – it's bold, almost cartoonish, but it keeps the figure grounded, present. It makes me think about Matisse, especially in the way Modigliani simplifies form. But there's something uniquely Modigliani here, too, in the elongated neck and almond-shaped eyes, a kind of elegance and melancholy that feels very personal.