Alice
Neel did not find widespread success until she
was past the age of 70, although she had been
painted continuously from her days as a student
in the 1920s. She believed in realism and followed
the tradition of painting an unsparing depiction
of real life. She chose to paint portraits because
she believed in the importance of the human figure
in art and saw one’s physical appearance
as an accurate reflection of the inner workings
of one’s psyche.
Neel often painted portraits
of people she found particularly interesting.
Swedish Girls is the portrait of a young daughter
of friends of the artist and the girl’s
older cousin visiting from Sweden. The image
is one of a number of family groups Neel painted
in this period.
|
