Paul Alexandre provides valuable testimony indicating that, during his early years in Paris, Modigli-
ani regularly attended life-drawing academies, notably the Académie Ranson in Montmartre around

1908. During these sessions, as the model held each pose for ten to fifteen minutes, Modigliani
produced multiple drawings whose speed and precision of line, assured hand, bold compositions,
and inventive variations on a single pose elevate them beyond mere academic studies.