Marilyn Monroe 1992

LeRoy Neiman made this image of Marilyn Monroe with paint and a whole lot of gusto. The way he attacks the canvas, it's like he's wrestling with her image, not just painting it. Look at the mouth – that slash of red, pink, and even a touch of blue. It's so raw, so direct. It's like he's saying, "Here's the icon, but here's also the messy, human part." And those eyes, heavy with black, they’ve got this haunted, knowing look. The paint isn't blended or softened; it's right there on the surface. You can almost feel the energy of the brushstrokes, the speed and confidence. Neiman’s work shares a kinship with someone like Elaine de Kooning, who also sought to capture the essence of her subjects through expressive, gestural brushwork, embracing imperfection and the immediacy of the moment. It’s a reminder that art isn't about perfection, it's about process, about letting the unexpected happen, about embracing the beautiful mess.