Ocelot 1973

LeRoy Neiman made this painting, Ocelot, and the way he puts it together, it’s all about these quick, almost scribbly marks, like he’s chasing the animal across the canvas. The colors are wild – pinks, yellows, blues – not exactly how you’d see an ocelot in nature, but they give it this vibrant energy, a feeling of movement and life. Look at the way he layers the paint, how some strokes are thick and juicy, and others are thin and transparent, letting the colors underneath peek through. It's like he's building up the image bit by bit, letting each mark respond to the ones before it. There's a spot near the cat’s tail, this burst of pink, that just zings out, pulling your eye around the whole painting. It reminds me a little bit of Franz Marc, with that same love of animals and bright, expressive color. But where Marc is all about feeling the spiritual essence of the animal, Neiman's more interested in capturing its raw energy, its presence in the moment. It’s a painting that's more about feeling than seeing, and it leaves you with a sense of wonder and excitement.