USTA Magazine May 2000 Tennis Illustration 2000

Jack Davis made this illustration for USTA Magazine in May 2000 with watercolors and ink. It's a riot of figures in motion against a splattered pink ground. The act of painting itself feels like a tennis match here, doesn't it? The figures are caught mid-swing, their bodies arched, and their faces intense. I wonder if Davis was a tennis player himself? There’s a kind of empathy in the way he depicts each player, from the novice to the pro. The watercolor is thin in places, allowing the paper to show through, while elsewhere, the ink is boldly applied, delineating each character with a crisp, cartoonish edge. Look at the way he’s used pink to create a mood of playfulness and energy. You can see echoes of Honoré Daumier’s caricatures. It suggests an ongoing conversation about line, form, and the human condition across generations of artists. This piece reminds us that painting is an embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.