Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920) The Servant Girl, ca. 1918 Oil on canvas, 60 x 24" Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1939

Unlike Jacques-Louis David, who painted his uncle, Amedeo Modigliani (ah-muh-day-oh mo-dee-lee-ah-nee) represents an anonymous young girl. Modigliani's painting style is very recognizable: figures are characterized by the elongation of the neck, the oval shape of the head, and the graceful lines of the body. Settings are sparse, as can be seen in the background of this painting; there is just a hint of a room with a tile floor and blue-gray walls.

The title of the painting identifies the woman as a servant, and everything about the composition emphasizes that role. She wears a dark dress with a white collar, plain shoes, and a modest hair style. She stands with her head tilted and hands folded, as if waiting patiently for instructions. Her placement in a corner further emphasizes her subservience. Her eyes are blank, which takes away her individuality and personality; the fact that they were painted in one of the colors found in the wall is perhaps also significant.

In spite of her role in society, however, there is a certain dignity to her figure. Modigliani achieved this sense of quiet nobility through the use of color and line to unify the composition. The curved lines and repeated and overlapping oval shapes create a gentle rhythm that gives the servant girl a certain softness and grace. The colors are also subtly expressive, with blues and grays accented by the white of the collar, the red of the floor, and the golden glow of her skin.

— Mariann Smith and Nancy Spector

SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDS-ON AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

• The unusual quality of the servant girl's eyes is almost always the first thing children notice about this painting. Eye contact is a very important aspect of communication in human relationships. Have students think about expressions that relate to the eyes—such as "keep your eyes peeled," or "for your eyes only." Collect as many as you can and assign one to each student to analyze, either through an illustration or a written paragraph.
• Bring in the comic section of the newspaper each day for a week. Assign each student a comic strip character and ask them to copy the different expressions in the eyes of that character throughout the week. Each student can then make a poster of just the eyes, labeling each set of eyes with the emotion they think is expressed.
• Have students pretend they are the owners of a large house with many servants. Let each of them choose one type of servant (cook, maid, butler, gardener, stable hand, etc.) and ask them to make a schedule for that person for the day.
• Have students work in groups to write a biography of Modigliani's servant girl. Compare the results.
• Discuss the similarities and differences between a servant and a slave.