Basketball c. 1938

Joseph Vogel made this print, Basketball, using graphic media to create a vivid scene. I'm drawn to the way Vogel simplifies the figures, using bold colour to define their forms, and the process feels really direct and immediate, like he's capturing the energy of the game itself. There's a great balance of abstraction and representation. Look at the colour choices: unexpected pinks and blues that somehow work perfectly. The texture feels almost rough, which gives it a cool, raw quality. The way the figures are constructed from simple shapes reminds me of Stuart Davis and the American Modernists. See how the player's muscles are suggested with just a few well-placed lines? It’s a testament to the power of suggestion. Vogel reminds us that art isn't just about perfect representation; it's about capturing a feeling, an idea, and in this case, the dynamic movement of sport. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation with what came before.