Portrait of Paul Alexander on green background 1909

Amedeo Modigliani painted this portrait of Paul Alexander with oil on canvas, but when exactly remains a bit of a mystery. There’s a real sense of the artist feeling his way through the paint, isn't there? I find myself drawn to the hand, sitting right there on the hip. There's something about it that feels unfinished, like Modigliani was still figuring it out, or perhaps deliberately left it as a kind of question mark. It’s a reminder that painting is a process. It's about searching and experimenting with different marks and gestures, rather than just trying to create a perfect image. The muted color palette and visible brushstrokes give the painting a kind of raw, immediate feel. The surface isn’t smooth or polished, but rather textured and alive. I see some of Modigliani’s other portraits in this approach, but I am also reminded of painters like Cezanne and the way he built up form through layers of broken color. Art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas.