THE SHOT 1985

Ernie Barnes made this painting called 'The Shot' with what looks like watercolor or gouache on paper, and right away I notice the palette is muted, almost monochromatic. There's this beautiful tension between the stark realism of the house and the stylized, elongated limbs of the basketball player. Look at the way Barnes renders the figure mid-air: the lean, stretched limbs, the upward gaze, and the graceful arc of the body all convey a sense of energy and dynamism. But it's the color that grabs me; that pale blue of the jeans against the brown earth and the creamy sky. It's a color that feels both nostalgic and hopeful, like a faded photograph or a childhood memory. This piece makes me think of Jacob Lawrence, who also captured everyday life in his paintings with so much care and honesty. Ultimately, both artists remind us that art isn't just about what we see, but how we see it.