La Venerie II 1964

LeRoy Neiman made this painting, La Venerie II, with oil paint, smearing it on to suggest a fox hunt in motion. The joy here lies in how Neiman embraces the physicality of the paint. The brushstrokes are loose, thick, and unapologetic. Look closely, and you can see the tracks left by the bristles, each dab and dash a testament to the artist's hand. The surface is alive with texture, an almost sculptural relief of pigment. Take the dogs chasing at the front of the painting; each dab of paint is suggestive rather than descriptive; we recognise the form of the animal but the artist isn't too concerned with detail. This kind of mark making isn't about what is depicted but rather the process of painting. Neiman reminds me of Joan Mitchell; both artists are interested in the energy of the gesture. Art's beauty is not just in what it shows, but in how it makes us feel.