Alice Neel: What do you think?

[Sharon Knettell]

I am rather undecided.

I do appreciate her personal departure from the strictures if not to say straight-jacket of classical realism, however I do find her images ugly.

I think Van Gogh was much more successful at it. Some of his portraiture was quite beautiful, but his florals are where he really is transcendent.

Klimt is another example of an artist who threw off the same deadening yoke and acheived figurative works of exceeding beauty and inventiveness.

Simply skill or technique in my opinion, is a crashing bore. The museums of the world are filled to the rafters with acres of these. With the advent of photography it is no longer necessary to paint many pictures which are best left to film.

[Michele Rushworth]

Simply skill or technique in my opinion, is a crashing bore. The museums of the world are filled to the rafters with acres of these. With the advent of photography it is no longer necessary to paint many pictures which are best left to film.

Well put!

[Henry Wienhold]

One aspect of Alice Neels self portrait stands clear to me after re-examining her painting, "gravity is not our friend."

Keeping the long term effects in mind about gravity and aging. We all share the same dilemma, maybe thats what she was trying to say, we all grow old, there is no shame to that aspect of our human nature. There is beauty in a message like that. To me that is what she was trying to say, but thats just my opinion.

Just as there are many forms of music to suit different tastes and styles, there should also many forms of painting and self expression through the visual arts. Thank God for diversity.