Artwork
Boy in a Striped Sweater
Boy in a Striped Sweater is an oil painting by Amedeo Modigliani. It dates from 1918 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
This work exemplifies the artist's distinctive approach to figurative subjects, which he developed during his time in Paris.
Amedeo Modigliani's *Boy in a Striped Sweater*, an oil painting from 1918, presents a portrait of a young individual. This work exemplifies the artist's distinctive approach to figurative subjects, which he developed during his time in Paris. It forms part of a series of portraits created in the final years of his career, reflecting his consistent engagement with the human form and his unique stylistic language.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a young boy seated, his hands clasped in his lap, wearing a dark coat over a striped sweater and a tie. His expression is serious, conveying a sense of quiet introspection. The directness of the pose and the boy's solemn gaze are characteristic of Modigliani's portraits, which often imbue his subjects with a profound, yet understated, presence, moving beyond mere likeness to capture an inner state.
Technique & Style
Modigliani employed oil paint with thick, visible brushstrokes, creating a textured surface known as impasto, particularly noticeable in the boy's hands and sweater. While the overall palette features muted deep blues, grays, and earthy tones, these elements stand out with brighter hues. The background remains rough and unfinished, deliberately directing the viewer's attention to the central figure, whose form exhibits the artist's characteristic elongation.
Context
Created in 1918, this portrait emerged from Modigliani's prolific period in Paris, where he had settled in 1906 and became associated with the École de Paris. His distinctive style, marked by elongated figures and faces, evolved from his early studies of Italian Renaissance art and classical antiquity. *Boy in a Striped Sweater* is representative of the numerous portraits he produced, which collectively define his modernist contribution to figurative painting.
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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.
