Compare Contrast Essay
The two art pieces I chose to compare are Priscilla Johnson, 1966 by Alice Neel and The Seated Women, 1917 by Egon Schiele. These two painting depict two young women who are sitting and convey messages to the person looking at the art piece. Each painting is unique unto itself but they both have many similarities and differences.
The painting by Alice Neel depicts Priscilla Johnson’s a young American from the 1960s. Her green dress her posture and hair all suggest that she is very fashionable and has money. The mood or tone of this painting is one of unease or anxiety. As you look at her face it is very unnerving. She has intense green eyes and her lips are clamped tight together. She has elongated feet and hands and the feet are pointed straight down. The painting suggests that she might be waiting for someone to come into the room. Even the chair she is sitting in is very stiff and the legs seem to just stab right into the carpet. She has talon like fingers and blue pointed shoes. As if this was not enough unease for the painting; there are leaves that seem to be just creeping onto Priscilla like a hand you might see in some horror movie. Alice Neel’s painting of Priscilla Johnson is contemporary oil on canvas painting. This painting was created in my opinion to shows some kind of feeling that Alice Neel might have been having at the time
The second piece of art was done be Egon Schiele in 1917. The painting The Seated Women is very similar to Priscilla Johnson. Both are contemporary art pieces that are of women who are about the same age. Each woman is sitting down and seems to be waiting for someone else. Each painting tells a story about the young women. Both of these paintings use similar colors of green and brown. Like the painting of Priscilla the other girl has a clenched jaw and tight lips. Each woman is wearing eye liner and lipstick. One of the biggest important similarities that I see in both of these paintings is that the artist seemed to leave the painting unfinished. For me that tells me that there is hope and that something in these women’s life might still change. These paintings do have many similarities but they also have many differences.
Unlike the painting of Priscilla the painting of the Seated Women is one of more relaxation. She is sitting with her legs spread apart and seems to be a lot more inviting. She has her head resting on her leg and is holding her leg with both hands. This painting is very sad because she seems to have been in an abusive relationship. She has bruises on her face and along both of her arms. She is wearing black stockings that cover her legs which might suggest that there are more bruises. As you look into her eyes she has a look as if she is angry but thinks that there is no hope for change.
Completley different from Priscilla who is sitting with objects in the room; this other woman is alone and isolated. The clothes that each woman wear also tell us were each of these women might stand socially. Unlike Priscilla the other women is wearing older rags that hang off her body. The one thing that set these two paintings apart for me is the hair. The hair in each of these paintings is very different. Priscilla’s hair is straight down and has been maintained while the other women’s hair is wild and unkempt. The hair in each of these paintings reflects the attitude that each women has.
I chose both of these paintings because they show the extreme difference’s of two different types of women. I like how they conveyed the emotion through the postures of each of these women.
Both of these women are from two different worlds. They have different moods, posture, attitude and class. But they are still very similar in that they are both oil on canvas paintings of women who are sitting and are about the same age. Each of these paintings are very well done and amazing pieces of art.
