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September 11, 2015 2 Comments

Artwork of the Week: Alice Neel’s After the Death of a Child

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The artwork of the week today is from an American painter of the 20th century, Alice Neel. She is known for her bold and emotional portraits, but I’ve chosen a slightly more subtle and more personal artwork to feature.
The Art Curator for Kids - Artwork of the Week - Alice Neel, After the Death of the Child, 1927-28

Alice Neel and her husband, Cuban artist Carlos Enríquez, had a daughter named Santillana in 1926 who died a year later of diphtheria. It’s a powerful artwork that shows how she viewed where she lived, New York City, after the birth of her first daughter. The washed-out watercolor, the manipulation of the lines, and the vacant, anonymous people give us a glimpse of what she must have been feeling at this time in her life.

Alice Neel, After the Death of the Child, 1927-28
Alice Neel, After the Death of the Child, 1927-28

If you show this work to your students, don’t tell them the name of the painting until after they’ve had a chance to look at it and think about what is happening for themselves first. Here are some questions to guide the discussion.

  • What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that?
  • What is the artist feeling? How can you tell?
  • How did the artist use color, line, value?
  • What choices did the artist make to show her meaning?
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Filed Under: Art and Artists
Tagged With: alice neel

 

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Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Donna Hayden

    March 2, 2019 at 10:33 pm

    I lost my son. Is there any way to get a print?

    Reply to this comment
    • Madalyn Gregory

      March 3, 2019 at 8:45 am

      I’m so sorry for your loss, Donna. I’ve never seen any prints of Neel’s work unfortunately.

      Reply to this comment

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