Alice Neel: Collector of Souls

In 1973, American Artist magazine featured an article on American artist Alice Neel (1900–1984). The article was insightful and revelatory, revealing exclusive insights into her influence and approach to painting. Here are the key takeaways.

Neel was a highly influential portraitist known for her unique ability to capture the essence of her subjects with a blend of psychological insight and a bold approach to color and marks. Coming to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, she was one of the rare representational painters who gained broad recognition and respect in an art world dominated by Abstract Expressionism and the Pop movement. Her work exposed the lives of her subjects and reflected a genuine interest in understanding their struggles and triumphs, as well as the emotional complexity behind social stereotypes. Neel’s subjects reflected a cross-section of society, embracing an egalitarian approach to her art. She approached the humanity of subjects from marginalized communities and wealthy elites equally.

Neel’s artistic process involved spending significant time with her subjects, using conversation as a means to delve into their personalities and understand the totality of their being. While some artists relied on photos, Neel preferred direct contact to genuinely grasp her subject’s essence. Her portraits reflected a spontaneous and intense approach, with each stroke carrying the weight of her connection with the individual she portrayed.

Critics questioned Neel’s drawing abilities, but others praised her as an exceptional draftsman and figure painter. Her technique involved breaking forms into bold color blocks and outlining figures with strong blues or black. While she occasionally used photographs, she preferred talking to her subjects to grasp their core. Neel’s paintings exhibited intensity and aliveness, even with some distortions, to convey the essential nature of her subjects. Her approach resulted in captivating and emotionally charged portraits.

An example of her process is seen in the painting of Timothy Collins (above). Collins—a brash, young Wall Street operator—was considered a slick wheeler-dealer, but Neel saw him another way. “He looks like a warrior to me; he has a hero’s face and reminds me of Verrocchio’s equestrian statue near Venice. So when I started to paint him, I wanted to emphasize his strength. To do this, I used a very large canvas and posed him in a chair that reinforced the idea of strength. At first he sat in a homey old armchair of mine, but I realized that a hard plastic chair suited him much better. The colors were picked to highlight two almost contradictory characteristics of his. The vivid orange background accentuates his dynamic quality, while the gray around his head represents the seriousness and sensitivity he also possesses.”

Her work was also informed by the ideas of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalytic thinking. Although she never pursued psychology as a profession, she incorporated psychological techniques into her art. As a result, her portraits exude a potent psychological insight that even earned praise from professionals in the field.

Alice Neel’s dedication to capturing the complexities of her subjects, regardless of their background, left an indelible mark on the art world. Her paintings continue to resonate with audiences, offering an enduring exploration of the human condition that remains relevant to this day.