Girl with Blue Eyes (1918) by Amadeo ModiglianiMcNay Art Museum
Start by imagining you are standing in front of Girl with Blue Eyes.
Subject and viewer meet face to face in this unflinching portrait.
Elongated physical features...
... almond-shaped eyes, and a rosy complexion are all typical of Amedeo Modigliani’s style.
In this portrait, blue-gray eyes match the background, forming the impression of a theatrical mask and creating tension between subject and viewer.
Both are seeing and being seen.
Modigliani likely observed the unidentified model in Nice, France, where he fled from Paris during World War I.
Amedeo Modigliani was born on July 12, 1884, in Livorno, Italy and died January 24, 1920 in Paris, France.
His paintings and sculptures—characterized by asymmetrical compositions, elongated figures, and an elegant use of line—are some of the most influential works of art in the 20th century.
See works of art by Modigliani in the collection at the McNay Art Museum.
Amadeo Modigliani, Girl with Blue Eyes, 1918. Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 ¼ in. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Bequest of Marion Koogler McNay, 1950.99.
