Kleinow, New York, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

Here is a small card made for the American Tobacco Company, portraying Kleinow of the New York American League. I can picture the artist making this, likely an illustrator, carefully blending pastel shades of green and blue. It seems like the artist has methodically worked on the surface, with the paint applied thinly in flat even layers. The subject matter, while very different from my own, does speak of an ongoing dialogue between artists. The use of color and form reminds me of Milton Avery's paintings, where simplified shapes and muted tones create a dreamy atmosphere. There’s something really intriguing about the way this card flattens the image, turning Kleinow into a figure of pure graphic information. It's almost like they wanted to capture not just a likeness but some essence, some quality of that baseball player. It makes you think about how different forms of painting each offer ways of experiencing and seeing the world.