Beautiful Destruction

The legend of the doomed bohemian has come to overshadow the actual painting — which is a shame, because the painting is the real achievement.

Modigliani built a portraiture style of extraordinary psychological sensitivity out of very simple means. Tilted heads, averted gazes, and blank eyes let him suggest vulnerability and a rich inner life with almost nothing on the canvas. The less he described, the more his sitters seem to feel.