From William J. Harris to time with Alice Neel's Black Draftee

Some years back, William J. Harris made me aware of the work of portrait painter Alice Neel (1900 - 1984). Harris had attended shows of Neel's work in New York City, and he discussed his impressions of what he saw in various Facebook posts. 

He wrote a poem or two about Neel and shared sketches he did of her artwork. After Harris, Neel became an artist I thought about from time to time. 

So on October 4, I took the 10-minute challenge on the New York Times page, where they encourage reader-viewers to spend 10-uninterrupted minutes looking at a piece of artwork. 

When I realized that the image was Neel's Black Draftee (James Hunter), I decided to participate. I stared at the image for the full 10 minutes.

Later, I thought about the route from Harris to Neel to her painting.   

Related:

• A Notebook on William Harris