Modigliani and Picasso

Modigliani and Picasso had a bipolar relationship. In some points during the film Picasso and Modigliani hated each other. Let me rephrase that, in most points during the film Picasso and Modigliani seemed to hate each other. However, we, as viewers, got to see the friendly, lighter side of their relationship that none of the characters in the film got to bare witness to. There were two specific scenes that showed the friendly relations between Modigliani and Picasso. The first was when Picasso took Modigliani to see Monet and the other scene being when they shared a car ride together and mocked each other. There was definitely more tension and rivalry in their relationship rather than fun as shown by the dramatic stare downs and scuffles between the two artists throughout the movie.

From an artistic standpoint, even though both artists were always competing against each other and critiquing each others work in the end I think they both respected each others work. It's tough to see this especially when Picasso paints over one of Modigliani's works, but I think towards the end of the movie when Modigliani's piece is unveiled and even Picasso marvels over it you can truly see the respect they have for one another. Also, I don't think Picasso would have uttered Modigliani's name on his death bed if he did not respect him, or at least recognize his work was the bane of his existence.

Since I do not know the specifics on the actual Modigliani and Picasso relationship it's hard to say how accurate Hollywood's version of the story really is, but it was an entertaining interpretation of the story of the two artists whether it was truly that dynamic or not.