Dominican Boys on 108th Street 1955

Alice Neel painted these Dominican Boys on 108th Street with oil on canvas, and look at the way she works those browns and grays, they're almost like flesh, not quite blending, but smudged. It’s all about process, the painting is breathing. Check out the mark-making around the boys' faces. See how the paint is built up, thick in some places, and almost scratched away in others? It's like she's sculpting them with the brush, giving them a real weight and presence. The jackets are looser, more gestural. It's like she's saying, "I'm not going to get bogged down in the details, I'm going to capture the essence of these kids." Neel has something of Soutine's distortion and empathy, like she's not just painting what she sees, but what she feels. It's not perfect, but that's what makes it so alive. It's like she's inviting us to see the world through her eyes, with all its messy, beautiful imperfections.