1940, Alice Neel, T.B. Harlem (detail) -- National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington)
From the museum label: Carlos Negrón, the brother of Neel's lover José Santiago, is seen here bandaged from his thoracoplasty, a procedure that collapsed and "rested" tuberculosis-infected lungs by removing ribs. Negrón had moved from his native Puerto Rico to New York's Spanish Harlem neighborhood, where tuberculosis spread easily in the crowded urban environment. Neel is known for her bold color choices; here, her use of an otherwise neutral palette of browns, whites, and blacks makes the contrasting purple even more striking. The strong diagonal line—a classic compositional device—keeps the viewer's eyes moving and furthers the work's psychological intensity.
1940, Alice Neel, T.B. Harlem (detail) -- National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington)
From the museum label: Carlos Negrón, the brother of Neel's lover José Santiago, is seen here bandaged from his thoracoplasty, a procedure that collapsed and "rested" tuberculosis-infected lungs by removing ribs. Negrón had moved from his native Puerto Rico to New York's Spanish Harlem neighborhood, where tuberculosis spread easily in the crowded urban environment. Neel is known for her bold color choices; here, her use of an otherwise neutral palette of browns, whites, and blacks makes the contrasting purple even more striking. The strong diagonal line—a classic compositional device—keeps the viewer's eyes moving and furthers the work's psychological intensity.