Torso of a Nude Woman

Torso of a Nude Woman by Amedeo Modigliani is an assured and elegant drawing created in 1918, late in the artist's brief yet highly impactful career. Executed in graphite on paper, this work exemplifies Modigliani’s characteristic focus on the human form, rendered with striking economy and grace. The technique employs fluid, continuous lines to map out the contours of the female subject, emphasizing volume, curvature, and a sense of contained monumentality.

During the final years of his life, Modigliani dedicated significant attention to studies of female nudes, producing some of the most famous and highly charged works of the period. This piece strips the subject down to the essentials, omitting the head and most limbs to concentrate entirely on the central torso. Modigliani’s stylistic vocabulary is evident in the manner the drawing simplifies anatomy into smooth, sculptural shapes, echoing influences from archaic Greek and African art while maintaining a distinct modern sensibility. The sensitive manipulation of graphite reveals the structure and roundness of the figure without relying on heavy shading or excessive detailing.

The intense simplification found in this piece contributes to its timeless and architectural quality, a hallmark of Modigliani’s mature aesthetic. As a drawing, Torso of a Nude Woman reveals the foundational design and structural thinking underlying the artist’s more famous painted nudes. This significant example of Modigliani’s masterful draftsmanship is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a key reference for understanding his influential approach to depicting the female form.