The artwork titled “Dominican Boys on 108th Street,” created by artist Alice Neel in 1955, is an expressionist portrait rendered in oil on canvas. This piece is part of the Expressionism art movement and is currently housed at the Tate Modern in London, UK.
The artwork portrays two young boys standing on a street, presumably in New York City, given the specific street address in the title. The boys are depicted in a straightforward and unidealized manner, characteristic of Neel’s empathetic and humanistic approach to portraiture. The background features an urban setting with other figures and typical street elements which add depth to the composition. The use of bold colors and the textured brushstrokes imbue the scene with emotional intensity and narrative depth, providing a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of these children in a mid-20th-century urban context.
