Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne in a wide-brimmed hat Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920)

Description of Amedeo Modigliani’s Portrait of Jeanne Ebuterne in a Large Hat

She was young, beautiful, charming. She looked out at the world with huge eyes, like a young fragile fawn. She was born in the magnificent capital of France. She died in Paris, just 21 years after her birth.

The inscription on the gray stone tombstone said that the faithful wife simply could not survive the separation from her beloved husband. This girl’s name was Jeanne Ebuterne. She was a beautiful woman and the last passion of the brilliant painter - Amedeo Modigliani.

The artist led a dissipated lifestyle. He smoked a lot, drank a lot, was fond of gambling. This could not but affect his health. Soon he contracted tuberculosis. When Amedeo met Jeanne, he immediately realized that he had lost. She was 19, and he was already over 30. He created more than twenty portraits of her. They were all similar, and they were all very different.

In 1918, Amedeo finished his Portrait of Jeanne Ebuterne in a Big Hat. This is one of the most colorful and strange images of his young wife. Jeanne is dressed in a black, revealing the shoulders, dress. Her hand lightly touches her chin, as if the girl is thinking a little about something. Her dark, heavy hair is gathered up in her hair, allowing her to fully appreciate the gracefulness of her neck. On her head she has a huge hat, the wide brim of which is painted in contrasting beige.

This technique allows us to particularly emphasize the expressiveness of the face. The most striking thing in the portrait, of course, are the eyes. The slits are painted in light green, but the apples themselves are not drawn. This creates a strange impression in the viewer.