The Introduction of the Works by Amedeo Modigliani: 8. Nude with Hat

How are you?

Modigliani Institute Korea (MIK) is currently introducing artworks of Amedeo Modigliani one by one every week.

The 8th work to introduce this week is “Nude with Hat (1908)”.
It is an oil painting on canvas having a size of 80.6 x 50.1 cm
This is a portrait of a nude woman on the other side of the “Portrait of Maude Abrantes”, which was introduced as 6th work by The Modigliani Institute Korea.
However, the hat worn by the model seems to merely act as a dark background rather than a hat.
There are still various argues as to who the model is, but she is considered the same model as Modigliani's "The Jewish Woman", and is likely "Maude Abrantes", given the eyebrows, nose and lip shape of the model.
This painting was drawn by emphasizing only the face of the model, and shows the style of Modigliani to express the model's personality and characters as accurately as possible.
In 1908, Modigliani drew the "Portrait of Maude Abrantes" on the same canvas on which this work was painted.
It was common for painters at that time to draw on both sides of the same canvas, when they didn’t have money, and especially when they did not satisfy the draft of the first painting, and it was the same with Modigliani.
In general, the painter at that time turned the canvas over to use the other side for other painting but unlike common cases, Modigliani also turned it upside down for other painting.
In reality, however, there is the third painting on the canvas, which is a woman painted under the “Portrait of Maude Abrantes”, who can identify her eyes, face outline and hat on the part of the neck and the chest of Abrantes.
One day, Ofra Rimon, the director and curator of the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa in Israel, suddenly discovered another woman who had not previously recognized when introducing this painting to the museum's visitors.
Modigliani seems that he was unsatisfied while painting this woman, decided to abandon it, and drew Maude Abrantes on the painting.
However, Modigliani was still dissatisfied with this situation and turned the canvas over and painted the woman again in the clean side of the canvas.
Therefore, “Nude with Hat” to introduce this week is actually the third painting which Modigliani drew on this canvas.

Thank you.