Description
The painting Seated Nude on a Divan by Amadeo Modigliani is famous for several interesting reasons. First of all, the model for the painting was a young woman named Jeanne Hébuterne, who was Modigliani's mistress and became his muse. Tragically, Hébuterne committed suicide two days after Modigliani's death, at the age of 21, adding an emotional element to the work.
Seated Nude on a Divan was painted in 1917. It depicts a woman looking sensually at the viewer, her naked body covered by a piece of white cloth. Her use of rich reds and pinks give her work a warm, sumptuous feel, inviting us into this intimate moment captured on canvas.
In addition, the painting is an excellent example of Modigliani's characteristic style, characterized by simplification of forms and graceful, curved lines. In this particular work, the artist makes use of his distinctive "long neck", which has become a hallmark of his portraits.
The painting has also had an interesting history in terms of its financial value. In 2018, the work was auctioned by Sotheby's in New York and sold for more than $157 million, making it the fourth most expensive painting ever auctioned.
Another interesting detail about the painting "Seated Nude on a Divan" is that it was part of a series of nudes that Modigliani painted in the 1910s in Paris. At the time, the depiction of the nude was somewhat controversial, and Modigliani was one of the artists who challenged the social and artistic conventions of the time by creating these works.
In fact, Modigliani's nude paintings were so provocative that in 1917, his exhibition at the Berthe Weill gallery was closed by the police as indecent. However, despite the censorship, Modigliani's work has been highly influential in art history, and his nudes are considered some of the most iconic pieces of the modernist movement.
Seated Nude On A Divan is ranked no. 53 on the list of famous paintings