Secretariat II 1990

LeRoy Neiman animated Secretariat II with a spirited energy. Look at the way Neiman uses these almost scribbled strokes of color to capture the horse race. It’s like he's thinking through paint. I imagine Neiman standing there, brush in hand, not trying to get it “right” but letting each stroke build on the last. The orange at the bottom is like a surge of energy, moving up through the horses’ legs, exploding into pinks and reds and blues. It’s not just about depicting a race; it’s about the feeling of speed and competition, the blur of motion. This piece reminds me of other painters who capture movement, like Umberto Boccioni, but with a distinctly American flair. The way Neiman lays down these colors, it’s less about precision and more about capturing a fleeting moment. He invites us to feel the excitement of the race. It's this exchange of energy, this ongoing conversation between artists across time, that keeps painting alive and kicking.