Seated Nude

The powerful drawing, Seated Nude, was created by the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani in 1914. Executed in pencil and watercolor on paper, this work exemplifies the artist’s prolific output of studies and finished drawings during his highly productive years in Paris. Modigliani’s unique style, characterized by elongated, simplified forms and often mask-like faces, was fully emerging around this period, just prior to the outbreak of the First World War.

The piece showcases Modigliani’s characteristic approach to depicting the human form. The figure, positioned centrally, is delineated primarily by strong, fluid pencil lines that swiftly establish the contour and volume of the body. Over this definitive framework, subtle washes of watercolor introduce delicate color and shadow, suggesting dimensionality without relying on heavy traditional academic modeling. The refined use of soft earth tones, warm grays, and pale blues contrasts effectively with the sharp linearity of the graphite, creating a tension between modernist abstraction and classical representation. This particular drawing reflects the evolution of Modigliani's figure studies, moving away from explicit early influences toward a singular, refined aesthetic focused on rhythm and line.

Although based in Paris for most of his career, Modigliani retained strong elements of the Italian artistic tradition, favoring subjects associated with Renaissance masters, such as the female nude, reinterpreted through a distinctly modern lens. The year 1914 marks a critical point in the artist’s development as he began focusing heavily on nudes and portraiture. Today, this significant drawing is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Given its age and artistic importance, high-resolution prints and studies of this influential early Seated Nude are frequently made available through public domain initiatives worldwide.