Chaim Soutine

Art Historical Context

In 1918, as World War I drew to a close, Amedeo Modigliani his close friend and fellow artist Chaim Soutine in this striking oil-on-canvas portrait. Measuring 91.7 x 59.7 cm, the painting exemplifies Modigliani's distinctive style within the School of Paris, modernist innovation with echoes of African and classical influences. Soutine, a Belarusian-born expressionist known for his raw, visceral landscapes and figures, sits as the subject, their shared bohemian life in Montparnasse vividly evoked through Modigliani's elongated forms and almond-shaped eyes. Oil on canvas was Modigliani's preferred medium, allowing him to layer thick, expressive brushstrokes that convey emotional intensity and sculptural volume—hallmarks of his oeuvre. Created just two years before Modigliani's untimely death at age 35, this work reflects the vibrant yet fragile Paris art scene of the era, where émigré artists like these pushed boundaries amid postwar upheaval. Now part of the Chester Dale Collection at the National Gallery of Art, *Chaim Soutine* stands as a testament to artistic camaraderie and innovation, inviting viewers to ponder the personal bonds that fueled early 20th-century modernism.

About the Artist

Amedeo Modigliani · 1884–1920

Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor whose elegant, elongated figures and portraits rank among the most instantly recognizable images in modern art. Born in Livorno, Tuscany, to a Sephardic Jewish family, he studied at the academies of Florence and Venice before moving permanently to Paris in 1906, where he immersed himself in the bohemian artistic milieu of Montmartre...