Alice Neel: What do you think?

[Anthony Emmolo]

Andrea,

I hope my comment wasn't offensive. It was not meant to be.

It is a good question you ask, and I don't think I have an answer to it. Here's my feeling. Art touches the realm of emotions, and I don' think it is always going to be explainable by words. With that in mind, maybe he word 'taste' wasn't even he right word. I look at John Singer Sargeant's (I know I spelled it wrong) 'Tramp' , and it touches the emotions in a positive way. He wasn't trying to paint the man in a beautiful way. He painted the reality of life of a tramp. MAYBE, but I'm not sure, what hit me wrong was the fact that the three models in these two paintings stare the viewer right in the eye with no fear. It drives something home deeper. In this case something uncomfortable, but in the power of the artist to choose that message.

A thought completely unrelated to these paintings, but on the topic of 'Taste' is this: Have you ever looked at the album covers of today's rock stars? No more gentle Elvis smiles, or fun loving Beatle glances. Today's rock stars look angry. They look as if they want to fight with the viewer. It's not pleasant.

Or maybe it is just me..

Anthony

[Andrea Kantrowitz]

I'm not offended in the least, Anthony! I put this out because I was interested reading a variety of opinions about this work, especially after the discussion of Freud. You honestly made me think about what "taste" means. So thanks for taking the time to respond.!

[Brenda Ellis]

Well, hello Alice Neel, it's nice to meet you.
I've not heard of or seen any of Neel's work until now. Thank you, Andrea for bringing her to our attention (though most others are probably very familiar with her.)
I, as Linda, enjoy seeing fresh interpretations of what portraiture can be. And I appreciate the emotion and in-your-face humanity that these paintings have. There are other things there, too, that I percieve: a kind of struggle against or impatience with "beauty". Is it possible that women grapple with that word or that stigma more than men? By putting beauty in quotes, I am signalling that I'm referring to the social concept of beauty. Not the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" philosophy.
I get the feeling Alice wasn't all that keen on social concepts of beauty. Others may know how correct or incorrect I am.
'Beauty', like 'love' and 'truth' and 'bargain', will always be hard to definitively define.
So, now that I've taken that off the table for myself, , I will say that 'taste' is a made-up thing. Like curfew and taxes. It's a construct made by those who want to be in control. And I try not to buy into that. I won't wear black socks with shorts, but that's as far as my taste obedience goes.
I have a feeling Alice may have been bolder than me.
Or maybe not.
I find myself constantly wanting to know the artist that does any certain work. I can't just be content to see the work as something on it's own. It always, for me, is something created. And so I want to know the creator. Is it conceit to think that I can know the creator by just looking at what he/she created? Is it still art if one creates something gloriously beautiful and yet has put none of their soul into it? This could be a whole nother can of beans.

Alice Neel is okay in my book. She was expressing herself in what is obviously (to me) a true and honest way, and she found a language in visual media (not just lines or colors on a flat surface). Portraiture? People have discussed the point and meaning and measure of portraiture on this forum before, but I am beginning to see that "portrait" is a broad term, indeed.

[Henry Wienhold]

When I saw the self portrait I wanted to laugh, but then I asked myself, "should I be laughing." Then I realized
this is one bold lady, and to me boldness has merit. She reaches out with her work and makes you stop and think. Both of the portrait's draw you in and leave you wondering and contemplating her motive. Then I realized I would of liked to have met this lady, just to have a conversation with her. She's definately an artist who paints as she wishes and obviously she isn't a conventional crowd pleaser. I like that kind of attitude, be who you are is what I think she is saying. I like these two paintings.