Alice Neel was a painter that did not what people expected but rather what she wanted. On page 510, Neel defines herself not as a “portrait painter” But as a “people painter.” I agree with this statement. The term “portrait” sounds stiff, perfect, and posed. Alice Neel’s paintings are anything but these. They are loose, expressive, and allows you to see not a perfect rendering of the persons literal appearance but a glimpse into their minds, emotions, and expressions.
As already stated, Neel’s paintings are expressive. They She seems to focus on feelings, personalities, and individuals as opposed to painting a mere physical shell of a person. It is just as Neel says. She paints “people” not just bodies, not just portraits.
The particular painting of hers that caught my attention is “Harley” that she had completed in 1965. What I enjoy most about this painting is the pose. It is something I have seen many times in life; When someone is upset, fed-up, lost, or stuck and do not know how to proceed. It is a feeling that Neel has captured phenomenally.
In comparison to this, I found that Jenny Saville’s painting “Rosetta” on page 515 which made me think of as pure expression. The blank blue eyes, the facial expression, even the style in which she painted it all. It all builds up a feeling of being lost or despair.
In addition to their use of emotion and expression, both paintings are similar in style. In both the strokes of paint are visible. They are not meticulously blended as in photorealism and because of this I believe the paintings become even more powerful than they would have been had the artist chosen to perfectly render them.
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