Almaisa 1916

This is Modigliani’s painting, Almaisa. Look at how the warm colors of the face and hands emerge out of the darker cool tones. Imagine the artist considering how the figure can emerge from a dark background, using a limited palette of black, burnt umber, and white. I wonder what it was like for Modigliani to stand before the canvas, mixing these colors, building up the image in layers, and seeking that delicate balance between light and shadow. I like the way her eyes seem to be gazing into the future, almost knowing something we don’t, or maybe just dreaming. The painting looks kind of dashed off, yet it has a stillness. This interest in a simplified form connects Modigliani to other modernists like Picasso and Brancusi, who sought to capture the essence of their subjects through a reduced visual language. These painters teach us new ways of seeing, thinking, and feeling through the power of paint.