Leo Martínez
In 1970, Alice Neel painted a portrait of Pop artist Andy Warhol, two years after he had survived an assassination attempt by a member of his artistic circle. The portrait, housed in the Whitney Museum of American Art, is a powerful statement of vulnerability, humanity, and empathy. Neel, who was seventy years old at the time, was an important American realist who portrayed an incredible variety of sitters, from the anonymous to the highly recognizable. Her portraits were not about idealized exteriors but about personality, intimacy, vulnerability, and relationships. Similarly, her portrait of Warhol captures the vulnerability of an artist famous for his cool detachment. In the painting, Warhol is portrayed with his eyes closed and shirt removed, exposing his pale, scarred torso and the supportive corset he had to wear after the shooting. Neel's portrait of Warhol is a masterpiece and a vision of the artist's tenderness, kindness, and humanity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Alice Neel |
| Subject | Andy Warhol |
| Year | 1970 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | H: 60 in. (152.4 cm.), W: 40 in. (101.6 cm.) |
| Location | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY |
| Style | Expressionistic |
| Colours | Cool hues, light blue, aquamarine, brown |
| Details | Scars, stitches, corset, closed eyes, grey hair |
| Themes | Personality, intimacy, vulnerability, relationships, humanity, mortality |
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What You'll Learn
Alice Neel's expressive, penetrating portraits
Neel's 1970 portrait of Pop artist Andy Warhol is a testament to her style. In the painting, Warhol's eyes are closed, and he is shirtless, exposing his pale, scarred torso and the supportive corset he wore after being shot by Valerie Solanas in 1968. The canvas is limited to cool hues, with Warhol's fragile, androgynous contours outlined in Neel's signature aquamarine pigment.
Neel's portrait reveals two individuals: the sitter and the painter. Through Warhol's poignant fragility, we see the tenderness and kindness of Neel's gaze. The portrait is more than just a portrait—it is a vision of vulnerability, humanity, and deep, resonant empathy. It reveals Warhol's personality and inner life, rather than focusing on idealized exteriors.
Neel's portrait of Warhol is one of approximately 100 paintings, drawings, and watercolors included in a retrospective at the Met. Her subjects, who ranged from fellow artists to immigrants to political activists, are portrayed in a raw, intimate light. Neel's work defied social discrimination, strove to represent women realistically, advocated for gay rights, and spoke out against racial oppression.
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The vulnerability of Andy Warhol
Alice Neel's 1970 portrait of Andy Warhol is an arresting, intimate, and empathetic portrayal of the pop artist, capturing his vulnerability and humanity. The painting reveals Warhol's physical and psychological scars, exposing a side of him that was hidden from the public eye.
Neel, an acclaimed portrait painter, was known for her expressive, penetrating portraits that focused on capturing the character and personality of her subjects. She often spoke about her work as a portrait painter involving a lot of psychology. She would spend time talking to her subjects, getting to know them, and drawing out their true selves. This approach is evident in her portrait of Warhol, where she captures his inner life and personality, rather than just his physical appearance.
The painting depicts Warhol shirtless, exposing the corset he was required to wear after being shot by Valerie Solanas, a former member of his studio entourage, in 1968. The attempt on his life left him with physical scars, which Neel painted, along with the stitches and the girdle. Warhol's flesh is tinged with Neel's signature aquamarine pigment, his eyes are closed, and his hair is gray. His shoulders are thin, and his chest is sagging, giving him an androgynous, fragile appearance.
The background of the painting is limited to cool hues, with a swatch of light blue surrounding Warhol's head and upper body. The focus is entirely on Warhol, with no hints of time or place, adding to the sense of vulnerability and intimacy. The painting conveys a sense of immediacy and psychological depth, revealing Warhol's inner self and stripping away the artifice he often presented to the world.
Neel's portrait of Warhol is a powerful statement of vulnerability and humanity, capturing the pop artist in a moment of raw, honest emotion. It is a testament to Neel's skill as a portrait painter and her ability to connect with her subjects, revealing the soul beneath the surface.
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Warhol's public persona vs private reality
Andy Warhol was a flamboyant, wig-wearing, Pop icon, star artist. He cloaked himself in various disguises, including wigs, makeup, sunglasses, and a practiced air of disinterestedness. He once said, "Nudity is a threat to my existence." However, Alice Neel's 1970 portrait of him reveals a different side.
Neel's portrait of Warhol is an example of her ability to capture the vulnerability of her subjects. She exposes the corset he was forced to wear after being shot by Valerie Solanas, a former member of his studio entourage, in 1968. In the painting, his eyes are closed, and his torso is bare, revealing his pale, scarred body. The canvas is limited to cool hues, with Warhol's fragile, androgynous contours outlined in Neel's signature aquamarine pigment.
Trevor Fairbrother observes that Neel's portrait captures Warhol's "essence of loneliness and vulnerability." He suggests that by closing his eyes and focusing internally, Warhol was able to get through the brave act of posing shirtless for Neel, exposing his aging body.
Art historian Cindy Nemser notes that Neel's portraits, such as her depiction of Warhol, are not about idealized exteriors but rather, they focus on personality, intimacy, vulnerability, and relationships. They reveal the "soulfulness" of her subjects, capturing their inner lives and personalities.
Neel's portrait of Warhol, therefore, presents a contrasting view of the famous artist. It exposes his vulnerability and humanity, revealing an imperfect person living in an imperfect world. It strips away his public persona, presenting a raw and intimate portrayal of the individual behind the celebrity facade.
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Neel's painting style and use of colour
Alice Neel's portraits are known for their psychological insight, emotional intensity, and bold use of colour and marks. Her paintings have been described as having an expressionistic use of line and colour. Neel's work is also characterised by a raw and intimate portrayal of her subjects, capturing the shifting social and political context of 20th-century America.
Neel's dedication to capturing the complexities of her subjects, regardless of their background, left a significant mark on the art world. She is recognised for her unique ability to capture the essence of her subjects, blending psychological insight with a bold approach to colour and marks. Her portraits are not about idealised exteriors but rather, delve into personality, intimacy, vulnerability, and relationships.
Neel's artistic process involved spending significant time with her subjects, using conversation as a means to understand their personalities and the totality of their being. She often asked people she barely knew to pose nude for her, taking advantage of the communicative power of physical details such as body hair. This approach is evident in her portrait of Andy Warhol, where she captures his vulnerability and exposes the emotional complexity behind his public persona, which was famous for its cool detachment. The portrait reveals the scar on his torso from the assassination attempt by a member of his artistic circle, as well as the supportive corset he was forced to wear after the shooting. The canvas is limited to cool hues, with Warhol's fragile, androgynous contours outlined in Neel's signature aquamarine pigment.
Neel's work contradicts traditional, objectified nude depictions of women by her male predecessors. She pursued a career as a figurative painter during a period when abstraction was favoured. Her paintings of women, particularly nudes, are devoid of sentimentality and challenge the male gaze by depicting women through a female gaze. This is evident in her paintings such as "Pregnant Woman" (1971) and "Margaret Evans Pregnant" (1978), where she focuses on the unnaturalness of incipient motherhood.
Neel's use of colour is bold and expressive, often selected to highlight the characteristics of her subjects. For example, in her portrait of Collins, a Wall Street operator, she used a vivid orange background to accentuate his dynamic quality, while the grey around his head represents his seriousness and sensitivity. Neel's portraits are not confined to a single style but rather, reflect her ability to adapt her approach to capture the essence of each subject.
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The context of the 1970 portrait
Alice Neel's 1970 portrait of Andy Warhol is a significant work by the American artist, who was seventy years old when she painted it. The portrait is one of approximately 100 paintings, drawings, and watercolours included in a retrospective of her work at the Met. Known as a "'collector of souls'", Neel's portraits are not about idealised exteriors but about personality, intimacy, vulnerability, and relationships. She once described her work as picturing people in terms of "what the world has done to them and their retaliation".
Neel's work often involved a lot of psychology, and she would spend a lot of time talking to the person sitting for her, figuring them out. She saw her role as a partner to the person who was sitting for her, and her portraits were not commissioned vanity portraits, so she had the freedom to create unflattering portrayals. She often asked people she barely knew to pose nude for her, taking advantage of the communicative power of physical details.
In the case of the Warhol portrait, the subject had been shot in an assassination attempt two years prior by Valerie Solanas, a former member of his studio entourage. The painting depicts Warhol's scars and stitches, as well as the girdle he was forced to wear to support his damaged muscles. In the painting, his eyes are closed, and his torso is exposed, revealing the vulnerability of an artist known for his cool detachment. The canvas is limited to cool hues, with Warhol's fragile, androgynous contours outlined in Neel's signature aquamarine pigment.
The portrait is an expressionistic work, with brushwork and handling of paint that conveys a sense of immediacy and psychological depth. It reveals more than just physical appearance, hinting at the personality and inner life of Warhol. It is a vision of vulnerability, humanity, and deep, resonant empathy.
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Frequently asked questions
The name of the painting is \"Andy Warhol\".
Alice Neel painted Andy Warhol in 1970.
The painting is an oil on canvas.
The painting measures 60 x 40 inches.
The painting is currently located at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
