Black Panther 1975

LeRoy Neiman made this painting of a Black Panther using oil paint. Neiman's artistic career developed during a period of significant social and political change in the United States, especially regarding civil rights. In this context, the image of a black panther carries a strong symbolic charge, with an explicit connection to the Black Panther Party. While Neiman's characteristic style is known for its energetic brushwork and vivid colors, imbuing his subjects with a sense of vitality and dynamism, it is the charged associations of the panther as a symbol of resistance and empowerment that make the image so powerful. To truly understand this painting, one might explore the history of the Black Panther Party, the visual culture of the Civil Rights Movement, and Neiman's own biography and artistic statements. The meaning of any work of art depends on its historical and cultural moment.