Marilyn Monroe 1992

LeRoy Neiman's 'Marilyn Monroe' seems to have appeared through a flurry of intuitive marks, as though each stroke of the brush was a way of feeling out her iconic image. The greens and yellows that make up her hair and face give way to pinks and blues in a dance of color that animates the canvas. I can almost feel Neiman's hand moving across the canvas, trying to capture something elusive, a bit like de Kooning trying to catch the feeling of a woman. It's as if he’s not just painting a portrait but chasing after an idea, a memory, or maybe just the sheer charisma of Marilyn herself. The paint looks thin, almost watery, which adds to the sense of fleeting movement. The brushstrokes around her mouth are particularly striking – they give her an almost animated expression. It makes you wonder about the conversations artists have across time, inspiring each other to see and feel more deeply. Painting is this amazing embodied expression, it's all about embracing the ambiguity, isn't it?