Through every curving and expressive paint stroke, the American visual artist Alice Neel (1900-1984) captured the spirit and uniqueness of each of her subjects. She delved deeply into the lives of the people she painted, in order to capture their intense gaze, emotional state, and distinctive qualities, allowing each painting to tell its own story. Each of Neel’s paintings carries a slightly eccentric quality, as Neel guided her brush more by emotion than precision.
“With me painting was more than a profession. It was also an obsession,” Neel said. Painting absorbed Neel’s whole life, and she often invested herself in the lives of the people around her. “I have this overweening interest in humanity, and even if I’m not working, I’m still analyzing people. It’s built in,” Neel added. Part of the reason that ANeel is such an exceptional painter is because she paid close attention to the details of not only her paintings and subjects but also every part of life. Artist Heather Morgan said, “Her work is very personal and direct. It reveals the sitter and also herself.” To Neel, every person had a special story that deserved to be shared; she was not quick to judge but instead remained empathetic to those around her.
Neel was not afraid to capture the realistic and raw qualities of the human body. Her work was not perfect, and she painted figures as they were, not in an overly polished way. Her art steered away from the conventionally attractive body type and instead exposed states of the body that are negatively construed, like aging or illness. Neel also used a variety of diverse subjects, specifically people who are not always represented in art. Morgan said, “She’s not a studious copy; she is letting her soul flow out through her hand and her brush. The results are unique, fresh, and emotionally impactful.”
Born in Merion, Pennsylvania, in 1900 and raised in various parts of the state, Neel always had a great passion for the arts despite disapproving remarks her family often made. She enrolled in the Philadelphia School of Design for Women to study fine arts and then later the Chester Springs summer school of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she met Carlos Enríquez. A year later, Neel and Enríquez were married and began building a family in Havana, Cuba.
Neel gave birth to two daughters, Santillana and Isabetta, but Santillana died a year after her birth due to diphtheria. Three years later, Enríquez and Isabetta moved back to Cuba, leaving Neel behind. A month later, Neel had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide; her family admitted her to a mental hospital to receive further help. Enríquez and Neel never got divorced, but they lived as if they were divorced, and Neel seldom saw Isabetta again.
To receive help, Neel was confined at the mental hospital for her treatment. During her time there, Neel was not allowed to paint since painting in the early 1900s was not seen as a respectable activity for women to partake in. As art consumed her life, one of the most difficult experiences that she had in the mental hospital was being stripped of the ability to observe those around her as an artist; instead, as a patient, she became the one being observed. Neel struggled with various mental health conditions, which often fueled her artistic expression.
A year later, the hospital discharged Neel, and she moved to Greenwich Village, New York. In 1934, Neel participated in the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, a sidewalk showcase for artists around the city. At the exhibit, Neel attempted to showcase a piece entitled Joe Gould, which features a shocking and disturbing image of a naked man and multiple images of genitalia. This painting was a bit too provocative for its time, and Neel was forced to remove it from the exhibit. In modern days, Neel’s artistic style and blunt images are appreciated, but in the 1930s, Neel’s work could be so scandalous it often struck controversy. Although not currently on display, the painting is now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
One of Neel’s most famous works is her portrait of Andy Warhol. This portrait exposes Warhol’s vulnerability, making him appear almost unrecognizable. The painting has extreme depth as the shadows and outlines accentuate Warhol’s figure and expression. In the painting, Warhol is shirtless, slouching and hunched over. The painting brings attention to his gunshot wound and exhibits his fragility. Warhol is known for hiding his true self through the use of masks, wigs, glasses, makeup and more, but here his bare condition is uncovered. Morgan says, “Patches of color, fragmented washes compose the background.” In this particular painting, the background is a gentle blue, which also appears throughout the painting to heighten emotions and suggest a quiet pain. This painting unveils a side of Warhol that is never portrayed, inviting viewers to witness his true state.
Neel’s artwork draws inspiration from the Social Realism Movement, a movement that focused on displaying the everyday lives and struggles of the working class. Neel used her art as her voice for matters she felt passionate about. As a member of the Communist Party, she often depicted working-class individuals and valued the qualities in every person. Neel believed in equality of power and that no one should treat—or paint—others differently based on their status. In addition, Neel rejected capitalist ideologies and was not economically driven; painting was not a source of income for Neel but instead a means for expression and raising awareness of pressing social issues.
Neel was also an active feminist, even before the term gained popularity. Themes of maternity, motherhood, sexuality and feminism became prominent in Neel’s art, as she often rejected societal beauty standards and showcased the beauty of female struggles. Her art stood in opposition to the stereotypical role that women had in society. Even as a young child, her mother would often instill misogynist ideas about the proper role of women in society because that was what was normal for the time. However, Neel was able to ignore the negative comments of those around her and use her work to represent her own valuable opinions. Morgan said, “She dips her brush in black and blue and follows her bliss, totally unselfconscious that what she is doing is very different.”
Neel further used her art to take a stand against racism. To demonstrate her support during the Civil Rights Movement, Neel painted some of the movement’s leaders and was a part of the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, an organization in New York that advocated for museums giving more representation to Black artists. Neel used her art to highlight the voices of those who had been oppressed and discriminated against; she painted her neighbors, often people of color, from Spanish Harlem, where she lived from 1938 to 1962. Neel showcased the struggles of the everyday person and aimed to give power to people whose voice society historically suppressed.
For many portraits, there is a hierarchy in the power dynamic between the painter and the subject. Typically, the painter has the most power and can manipulate the painting to their liking, but Neel operated more casually. Neel established a balanced relationship between herself and her subject, as her objective was to give the subject full power by sharing their story.
Neel’s entire life work was to showcase the lives of others by sharing their story and voice. In the 1980s, Neel painted A Self Portrait to reveal her authentic self. Neel, at the age of 80, painted herself in her nude state, exposing her wrinkled, saggy and aging body. Her gaze is piercing, and she is staring directly at the viewer. Neel boldly showed that she had nothing to hide and was not ashamed of who she was. Neel used this portrait to represent herself and her identity, while also rejecting societal expectations regarding beauty standards and aging as she was confident in her body. She died in New York City in 1984.
Alice Neel was a profound artist who was slightly ahead of her time. She used her unique artistic style to introduce the lives of those whose stories are not usually told, while also exposing the vulnerable state of the human body. Her work remains relevant to modern times, and her legacy continues to live on, inspiring many. But what truly makes Neel a revolutionary artist is her ability to capture the fragility of the world around her in a truthful, unfiltered way. Neel’s portraits study the intricacies of the human body and soul, revealing personal truths and societal issues. Her fearless and visionary approach to art broke conventional boundaries and challenged traditional standards, redefining the art world.
Alice Neel was a profound artist who was slightly ahead of her time. She used her unique artistic style to introduce the lives of those whose stories are not usually told, while also exposing the vulnerable state of the human body. Her work remains relevant to modern times, and her legacy continues to live on, inspiring many.