Mark McGwire c. early 21th century

This is a portrait of Mark McGwire by LeRoy Neiman, made with big, juicy strokes of paint! It's like Neiman was painting at top speed, trying to catch the energy and excitement of the game. Imagine him standing there, brush in hand, colours flying everywhere. I bet he had music on, maybe the crack of the bat playing in his head. I love how the colours sort of vibrate around the edges, like you're seeing McGwire in a blur of motion. You can see some of the influence of the Fauves, in the wild use of colour. It's like he's not just painting a baseball player, but the feeling of being at the game, the thrill of the moment. These marks, these colours, they don't just describe, they express! And that’s what painting is all about, right?