Nude Facing Front, Arms Raised
1911
Modigliani’s elongated nudes were so scandalous when he first showed them in 1917 that the police actually shut down his solo exhibition for being too obscene! This 1911 drawing captures his signature style perfectly: a sleek, stretched-out female form with arms raised, outlined in bold, scratchy lines that give her a vibrating energy. Notice how the face is almost blank, resembling an African mask—a nod to the primal art forms that fascinated Parisian artists at the time. It’s a beautiful, raw sketch that feels both ancient and incredibly modern.
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