Artwork
Girl in a Green Blouse
Girl in a Green Blouse is an oil painting by Amedeo Modigliani. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper right: modigliani
About this work
Technique & Style
The portrait genre treatment focuses attention on the female sitter, with the canvas support allowing the smooth, blended handling typical of his oil technique.
Girl in a Green Blouse is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium consistent with Modigliani's standard portrait practice. The work measures 81.3 cm in height by 46 cm in width, producing a vertically oriented, modestly scaled composition suited to a single sitter.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to Modigliani's portrait manner of 1917, characterized by simplified, elongated forms and a restrained palette anchored here by the titular green of the blouse. The portrait genre treatment focuses attention on the female sitter, with the canvas support allowing the smooth, blended handling typical of his oil technique.
History & Provenance
Amedeo Modigliani painted Girl in a Green Blouse in 1917. The work was originally owned by Marcel Norero before appearing at a sale at the Hotel Drouot in Paris on 14 February 1927, where it was listed as Le Corsage Vert. Following the auction it passed through the Paris dealer Etienne Bignou, from whom Chester Dale of New York acquired it on 5 April 1927; some scholarship suggests Georges Cheron may also have held the work briefly.
Dale retained the painting until his death, after which it entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., through his 1963 bequest, where it is held under accession number 1963.10.183.
Legacy
The work entered Chester Dale's collection in 1927 and, by bequest, was donated to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1963. Its presence in the museum's permanent holdings has allowed continued scholarly examination of Modigliani's portrait style and has reinforced the artist's standing as a central figure in early-twentieth-century modernism. The painting's inclusion in a major public collection underscores its recognized importance within the history of modern art.
Overview
Amedeo Modigliani's Girl in a Green Blouse, created in 1917, is an oil on canvas portrait. The painting depicts a woman seated, gazing directly forward, characterized by the artist's signature approach to the human form. This work exemplifies Modigliani's modern aesthetic, which emphasized simplified, elongated features and a serene composure in his subjects.
Context
An Italian artist who settled in France in 1906, Amedeo Modigliani became a notable figure within the École de Paris. He dedicated his practice primarily to portraiture and figure studies, developing a highly individual style that set him apart from his contemporaries. Despite his innovative contributions to modern art, Modigliani's distinctive aesthetic, particularly his elongated figures, received limited recognition during his lifetime.
Artist & collection
Artist
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (US: ; Italian: ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France.
