Head of a Woman with a Hat 1907

Amedeo Modigliani made this painting of a woman with a hat at some point, using paint on paper. The colours he uses are delicate, almost faded, but don’t let that fool you. Modigliani was a radical when it came to the simple act of painting. Look at the face – it’s like he’s built it from a few simple lines and subtle tones. There's a really beautiful blend of ochre, peach, and barely-there blues that gives her skin a kind of luminous quality. The hat looms above, rendered in shadowy blues and purples. It’s like he's suggesting more than he's actually showing, leaving it up to our imaginations to fill in the blanks. I think about the artist Agnes Martin when I see Modigliani’s work. Both show us that a light touch can hold so much depth.