The artwork, entitled “John Perreault,” is a 1972 oil painting on canvas by Alice Neel. It embodies the artistic movement of Expressionism and measures 96.52 x 160.02 cm. This nude portrait genre painting is housed at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
In the artwork, a male figure is depicted reclining on a cloth-covered surface, with his body oriented lengthwise across the canvas. He is shown in a relaxed pose, his head propped up by his right arm, while his gaze directly engages the viewer. The figure’s body, rendered with meticulous detail and a vibrant palette, emphasizes the texture and contours of the skin. Neel’s expressive brushwork and use of color bring a vivid, almost palpable presence to the figure, capturing both the physicality and essence of the subject with an unflinching directness that characterizes her approach to portraiture. The background is minimally detailed, maintaining a focus on the figure and heightening the subject’s prominence within the composition.
