Café de la Paix 1980

LeRoy Neiman made this painting, *Cafe de la Paix*, with what looks like very free brushwork. Neiman is giving us a sensation, a fleeting moment, not a photographic record. It's like he's saying, "Here's what it *feels* like to be there." There's something wonderful about how he loads up the paint, thick and juicy, then lets the colors bump up against each other. Look at that awning over the cafe, a swirl of greens and blues, just delicious! And the way he suggests the crowd with these gestural marks – pinks and purples and yellows colliding. It's almost abstract, but then you see a figure, a face, and it snaps into focus. Neiman reminds me a little of Raoul Dufy, another artist who loved to capture the energy of modern life. Both of them remind us that art doesn't have to be about perfection; it can be about capturing the messy, vibrant beauty of the world around us.