Leila Webb Collins Davidson 1971

Alice Neel created this portrait of Leila Webb Collins Davidson with oil on canvas. Neel's brushwork is so direct, almost blunt, and yet it builds such a nuanced image. The paint handling isn't trying to trick you or hide itself, it's all right there on the surface. There’s a lovely fleshy pink used for the exposed knee, it’s dabbed on in fairly loose strokes, with hints of the pale yellow beneath peeking through. I find the way the hands are clasped particularly compelling; they anchor the composition, conveying a sense of thoughtful reserve. It reminds me a little of some of Lucian Freud’s portraits, in the way that both artists manage to convey the psychological depth of their sitters through the materiality of the paint. Ultimately, this painting suggests that art is about more than just representation; it's about the messy, imperfect, and deeply human process of seeing and feeling.