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These amazing Amedeo Modigliani Art Projects for Kids are perfect to learn about the artist who followed his heart & didn’t want to be put in a box!

“When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes”

When you hear the word ‘bohemian’, a few images crop up, quite likely having to do with loose clothes, dream catchers, macrame, and the like. What the word actually means is something or someone who doesn’t tread the usual path – someone who doesn’t fit in any one particular style. It’s ironic then, that bohemian itself has come to become a style all by itself – much like Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani.

If you look at this painting by Modigliani, you’ll understand what we mean. It’s a portrait of a woman, but the way she’s been depicted is completely unlike anything we’ve seen before. The neck is elongated and the eyes look like slits, similar to how they would appear on a mask. It’s hard to describe this painting to any particular style of art and that’s how you know that Modigliani has achieved what he wanted with his work!

Amedeo Modigliani was a rebel from the get-go. He was born into a wealthy family, but he rejected this privilege, preferring to live in poverty. He refused to conform to society’s rules, going to the extent of indulging in self-destructive behavior. It is this rebellious streak that made him declare that he didn’t want to be boxed into any artistic style.

Even though Modigliani was greatly influenced by artists like Pablo Picasso, he didn’t subscribe to the idea of art being classified under categories like Cubism, Surrealism, and the like. Even his mother wrote that her son’s character was so ‘unformed’ that she had no idea what was inside this ‘chrysalis’. Well, now we know – it was heaps and heaps of talent!

Since it’s the artist’s birthday on 12th July, we think it’s a good time to learn more about his amazing work, while making some art ourselves! So here are 10 amazing Amedeo Modigliani art projects for kids – and the kid at heart!

10 Amedeo Modigliani Art Projects for Kids

1. Modigliani Self-Portraits on Black Paper

Most artists paint landscapes of various kinds, and it’s often a starting point for them. However, Amedeo Modigliani decided that he didn’t want to tread the same path and so he went in a different direction, by painting people. Modigliani enjoyed doing portraits, mostly of women. Today, you can make your own portrait too, with this tutorial from Art Lessons for Kids. 

2. Easy Modigliani Art Project Tutorial

Notice the long necks in Modigliani portraits? Well, there is actually a medical condition called Modigliani syndrome, where people have long necks due to pseudo-goitre! I wonder how many artists can actually claim to have influenced the naming of a medical condition! Practice Modigliani’s long necks in this project from Art Projects for Kids!

3. Modigliani Chalk Pastels

Deep Space Sparkle celebrates Modigliani’s iconic format, featuring women with long necks and slit-like eyes. As mentioned earlier, most of Modigliani’s paintings were women he knew, and many of them are of  Jeanne Hébuterne, his partner at the time of his death. When Modigliani died, Hébuterne was just 21 years old and 8 months pregnant. She was so stricken with grief at the artist’s death that she killed herself the very next day. Today, she lies buried next to Modigliani.

4. Modigliani Self Portrait Tutorial

Modigliani was a hard worker, and when he got into a mood for painting, he created a huge amount of work, doing as many as hundred drawings a day. However, he himself destroyed many of them later, because of which not many of them are available today. However, you can create art that you can treasure forever, with this tutorial from Young Art Love.

5. Modigliani Coloring Book

Want to learn about Modigliani while also indulging in some coloring? Well, this book by Arthur Benjamin is perfect to get acquainted with many of the artist’s greatest works in more detail by filling in them yourself with color.

6. Amedeo Modigliani Crayon Art Lesson

Is it just me, or do the ladies in these crayon pieces by Blowing Rock Museum look like they’re admiring what they’re looking at? It is said that women were naturally drawn to Amedeo Modigliani, since he was quite good-looking and dressed well. He even went far enough to mention that Picasso’s appearance didn’t match his genius!

7. Modigliani Tissue Paper Face Project

The struggling artist may sound like a cliché, but it was true in case of Amedeo Modigliani. He died in abject poverty, being able to hold just one solo exhibition during his life. He even had to exchange paintings for food. However, after his death, his work gained popularity, with his painting Nu couché sold for $157.2 million at Sotheby’s. We can now celebrate the genius of the artist with this pretty project from The Laughing Zebra.

8. Amedeo Modigliani Inspired Father’s Day Art

Modigliani painted many women, but he also did portraits of his friends! Many famous artists have had their portraits done by Modigliani, including Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Diego Rivera. If you’d like to create a portrait of your Dad for Father’s Day, check out this project from Small Hands Big Art.

9. Oil Pastels Self Portraits

Art with Mrs. A shows us how to create a self portrait in Modigliani style by using oil pastels. Modigliani himself experimented with various mediums and he also tried sculpture, after learning from Constantin Brâncuși, a Romanian sculptor. His sculptures are in his typical format, with long necks and mask-like features.

10. Modigliani Alice Painting Coloring Page

The Color has a free printable coloring page, based on ‘Alice’, one of Modigliani’s well known works. Like Alice, his painting of faces was inspired by African masks, which is why they have a long, narrow format with thin eyes and elongated shapes.

I’m sure you’ve become intrigued by these Amedeo Modigliani art projects for kids, and would like to learn more about the artist. Unfortunately, Modigliani constantly suffered from ill health and finally succumbed to tuberculosis at the age o f 36. This cut short an artistic career that would have reached greater heights. Through his life, Modigliani taught us that you needn’t fit into any particular style followed by everyone – instead, you can create your own for others to follow!