Modigliani, Amedeo (1884-1920)
Elvira reposant à une table (Elvira Resting at a Table)
c.1918–1919
Oil on canvas, 92.7 × 60.5 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
This woman was one of Amedeo Modigliani’s favorite models, a young worker known only by her first name, Elvira. Her bright blue, almond-shaped eyes reflect the artist’s trademark interest in stylized forms. Modigliani, an Italian by birth, moved to Paris early in his career and became a central figure in the avant-garde “School of Paris,” an artist group based in Montparnasse. He painted this portrait the year before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 35. (SLAM)