Satchmo 1962

LeRoy Neiman captured Louis Armstrong, known as Satchmo, in oil on canvas with his signature vibrant, energetic style. Look at those broad strokes of colour! You can almost feel the motion and hear the music jumping off the canvas. I bet Neiman was right there in the thick of it, maybe at a smoky jazz club, capturing the vibe, the energy, the soul of Satchmo. Those thick impasto layers of paint – the oranges, purples, and blues – create a kind of visual rhythm. See how Neiman uses that white, almost like a spotlight, to highlight Armstrong’s face and trumpet? It’s like he’s sculpting with paint, building up the form and the feeling at the same time. It makes you think about all the other artists who’ve been inspired by music, by the energy of performance, and how they’ve tried to capture that in their own way. Painting's like that—an ongoing conversation, bouncing ideas and energy around, always finding new ways to see and feel the world.