By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Andrew Neel
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 82
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914358/
Bruce says: “Few artists have the integrity of Alice Neel. Neel viewed painting as a privilege and an obsession. ‘I had to paint,’ she would say. While her contemporaries reveled in the downtown abstract expressionist art scene, Alice remained outside the
radar of the art world’s meritocracy as defined by critics and curators such as Clement Greenberg and Henry Geldzahler. It was not until her 74th year – when the Whitney Museum honored her with a one woman show that Neel received the recognition she deserved. In Neel’s words ‘It is wonderful to accomplish what you want to accomplish in this world.’ And, to see her work displayed as it should be seen. How wonderful that a headstrong, uncompromising woman with such a unique vision felt validated in her lifetime.
“Born in 1900 Neel attended the Philadelphia School of Design for Women; following school she moved to New York with Carlos Enríquez, a wealthy Cuban. Alice gave birth to a daughter who died of diphtheria then Carlos absconded to Cuba with their second daughter and never returned. During the next few years Alice experienced a dark period during which she attempted suicide. Returning to the New York at scene she lived in Greenwich Village until she felt it was way too popular. She then moved to Spanish Harlem where her sons Richard and Hartley still maintain the apartment in which they grew up.
“Neel was always preoccupied with portraiture. She developed her definitive style early in her career and never wavered or experimented with new techniques. Her life was strictly Bohemian, living on welfare. Sher was a single mom way before the concept was in the mainstream. Her sons were fathered by different men and she had lovers among which was John Rothschild who also happened to be a benefactor.
“Amusing archival footage of her appearance on Johnny Carson reveals a witty, high spirited grand dame. this documentary was made by Alice’s grandson, Andrew Neel. In an effort to balance her personal and artistic lives on screen, Andrew Neel has included excerpts from Michel Auder’s ‘Portrail of Alice Neel.’ In many scenes Alice is shown painting and talking about her life as an artist. Several art historians, such as Robert Storr from Yale, offer their opinions on her place in the pantheon of art history. Chuck Close and Alex Katz are artists who express quite different views of Alice.
“Andrew has ample access to his father (Hartly) and uncle (Richard) who provide many details about Alice’s personal life but ones that appear to be heavily biased. Andrew makes a feeble attempt to include his cousins – the son and daughter of Isabetta – as talking heads. They don’t add much to any aspect of the film and the details of what happened to their mother are not covered to a satisfying degree. Documentaries that are presented as a family album rarely are as interesting as the filmmaker
thinks. Andrew Neel has personalizes his film to a such degree that I wished someone outside the family directed. 3.5 cats”