Portrait of Jean Alexandre Amedeo Modigliani Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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The Portrait of Jean Alexandre is a 1909 painting by Amedeo Modigliani. The painting style is expressionism; the genre is a portrait, and it measures 65 x 81 cm.

The painting media is oil on canvas, and it is currently in private collection. The painting depicts a man with his head resting on his right hand, wearing a dark suit with a maroon tie.

Modigliani used his artistic skills in the Portrait of Jean Alexandre painting to express his inner feeling and themes. The artist used a rich combination of colors to give the painting more meaning and to make it attractive.

Modigliani was inspired by African carving, and he used these techniques in this painting as the head of the man in the picture was painted bending.

The artist used both warm and dark color in the painting that makes it to looks professional and communicates the main themes to the viewer. The artist clearly understood the effect of color on a painting as they can change the theme or make it strong.

The artist used black color on the suit as it was used in expensive suits for the wealthy people in those times. The artist also used a brown background that makes the painting to look more attractive.

The artist also used curves on the painting as the man hands rest on a pillar on the wall but it not visible on the painting. These are high artistic skills that the artist used to carefully place all the features on this painting.

Modigliani depicted the man in the painting smartly dressed. He painted the whole suit black and the shirt white with a matching dark maroon tie. The artist wanted the viewer to see the man was from a wealthy background and educated. However, the man seems depressed as he is resting his head on his hand and seems to be in deep thought. Modigliani was inspired by the events that were happening during his time to make such paintings.

Modigliani maintained comical and entertainment themes in this painting but still managed to keep the main theme he wanted the viewer to see. The main theme that the artist wanted to depict in this painting was that hard times can affect the wealthy and educated people. He was careful not to over decorate the paintings as it would lose its meaning.