1917 -1919 · Portrait, intimacy and modern line

In the portraits of Jeanne Hébuterne, Modigliani unites tenderness, elongated outline and restrained color to capture an ever-renewed familiar presence.

Amedeo Modigliani met Jeanne Hébuterne in 1917 in Paris. An art student at the Colarossi Academy, she became his companion and one of his most constant models. Between Paris and the Côte d'Azur, the painter represents her more than twenty times, seated, from the front or in profile, dressed in a sweater, scarf or simple shirt. Repetition never produces a still image. Auburn hair, blue eyes, long neck and oval of the face serve as landmarks, but each canvas modifies the inclination of the head, the relationship to the background and the intensity of the gaze. Modigliani here combines the elegance of Italian mannerism, modern simplification and intimate observation of the model. This suite is one of the most moving ensembles of her work, while recalling that Jeanne Hébuterne was also an artist and not just a muse. The "Jeanne Hébuterne by Modigliani" selection notably compares Jeanne Hébuterne in the scarf and Jeanne Hébuterne in the yellow sweater. His reading favors movement.

From one portrait to another, the same face becomes silence, confidence or distance by the sole inflection of the outline.