Alice Neel's painting, Last Sickness, is a portrait of her mother in her last weeks of life. Her mother came to live with Alice after complications from a broken hip (the majority of research affirmed this as her ailment, though one source reported cancer as the culprit). Her mother came to live with Neel in 1953 and died the following year. No sources seemed to give her mother a name or any specific biographical information. In was a consensus though that the eyes and frail hands showed the weakness and decimation brought on by her illness, while the bold lines of the robe assert an inner tenacity and stubborn, independent soul. Ultimately, this portrait of Neel's mother is another empathetic and insightful piece of work in what Neel calls her "collection of souls."
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Last Sickness- Explanation
Alice Neel's painting, Last Sickness, is a portrait of her mother in her last weeks of life. Her mother came to live with Alice after complications from a broken hip (the majority of research affirmed this as her ailment, though one source reported cancer as the culprit). Her mother came to live with Neel in 1953 and died the following year. No sources seemed to give her mother a name or any specific biographical information. In was a consensus though that the eyes and frail hands showed the weakness and decimation brought on by her illness, while the bold lines of the robe assert an inner tenacity and stubborn, independent soul. Ultimately, this portrait of Neel's mother is another empathetic and insightful piece of work in what Neel calls her "collection of souls."
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