Art on TV

Yesterday on the CBS morning show they had a feature on a new art show coming to the Met- a retrospective of Alice Neel.  My college friend David Lasky used to swear that I painted just like her, but I never bought it.  True, we both concentrated on head and figure, but her style (her works were well known) tended to be a little more cartoony, or perhaps expressionistic.  I was going for more realism, influenced by the Renaissance, Baroque artists, and even 20th century American realism like Edward Hopper.  Not that I necessarily achieved it, but that was the goal, like so many fine art students who are influenced but whatever they are looking at in art history class.  But that was the goal.  

I do appreciate Alice Neel, because we did end up doing a lot of the same stuff- portraits designed to capture the qualities and stories of the subjects.  I would probably enjoy the show, but I don't plan to go see it.  It's a long journey from where I live at the shore these days, involving a walk, a long train ride with a transfer, and an even longer walk to the museum, plus a hefty admission fee these days, with my college ID giving me few breaks.  I could probably get as much looking her up on the internet, since I am not painting much these days.