I believe that Kenneth Fearing paved the way for hipsters today.

Fearing was a poet and novelist, largely known for his work about the suffering of the labor class during the Great Depression.. He hung out late at night in coffee shops and bars in Greenwich Village and wrote poems about the futility of man. Fearing pretty much checks every box when it comes to hipster-ism: oversized glass, smoking in cafes, extreme leftist political outlooks, and an angsty demeanor. He’s got all of it covered. And he's pretty hot. But we're into that tortured artist thing.

Fearing is also rumored to have dabbled with drugs from time to time, developing a real affinity towards opium. Maybe it helped him blow off some of the stress from the Great Depression that seemed to trouble him so much. Perhaps this tendency to mope about life is what drew Neel to Fearing. Around the time this painting was created, Neel was suffering in an abusive marriage, a nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt. Given the fact that Neel wasn’t exactly a happy camper, it was a no-brainer to paint the brooding poet.

Instead, i this painting we see Fearing feeling comfortable  in his natural habitat, posting up in a coffee shop, exuding all the qualities of New York artsy intellectual. The skeleton squeezing blood out of his heart is said to represent how deeply he felt for those suffering during the difficult times of the depression. Besides the baby (said to be his son) and the newlywed couple by Fearing’s arm, the rest of this painting is covered in images of anarchy. Police are beating civilians, disfigured soldiers roam about, and bleeding corpses are sprinkled throughout. This painting would appear to match the vibe of his poetry quite well. Why are the cute ones always so moody?