Alice Neel
Early Life and Education Born: January 28, 1900, in Merion Square, Pennsylvania Parents: George Washington Neel (accountant) and Alice Concross Hartley Neel Family moved to Colwyn, Pennsylvania in early 1900s. Fourth of five children; experienced the loss of her older brother, Hartley, at a young age. Raised in a middle-class family with limited expectations for women. Graduated high school and took a clerical position to support her family. Studied art classes in Philadelphia by night. Enrolled in the fine art program at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of Alice Neel's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
