Between 1911 and 1914, Modigliani executed a number of drawings of heads through which he explored his obsession with sculpture, the majority of which show the head from a frontal view.

 Noël Alexandre notes: "These drawings are derived from about twenty basic forms, each repeated in depth.  Modigliani conducted his search for perfect balance by varying imperceptibly one or another element of the geometric and symbolic structure, and by heightening contrasts to the greatest possible degree...  The elements which define the face go back to fundamental forms: the circle, the oval, the intersection of two arcs, the rectangle, the triangle.  The straight vertical line is often provided by the neck and by the elongated axis of the nose..." (The Unknown Modigliani (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., 1993-1996, p. 237).

Fig. I, Amedeo Modigliani, Tête, limestone, Private Collection, Paris