St. Andrews golf course c. 1990

Curator: What a lively scene. LeRoy Neiman's "St. Andrews golf course" created circa 1990, bursts with color. Editor: It's a celebration! That electric green and the building painted in all shades of lilac seems to pulse. Curator: The location itself is iconic; St Andrews is considered the "home of golf." And Neiman's approach definitely emphasizes a modern sporting culture obsessed with surfaces, celebrity, and access. The vibrant acrylic paints thickly applied, nearly sculpted, showcase a complete involvement with the pleasures of manufacture. It looks as though this was likely painted en plein air which explains the use of bold colors. Editor: Absolutely. This energetic style resonates with themes of recreation and leisure, aligning golf as a game of skill and status. Consider the building itself, its shape carries visual cues of permanence and tradition and the clock on the façade suggests this course as timeless, ever in motion, always a stage for iconic play. I see visual metaphors that connect the building to its role as a pillar of this established sport. Curator: Indeed. And it is crucial to understand Neiman's working process; he would have sketched live at sporting events and social gatherings for a mass market. It's very revealing as the image suggests he saw production more as a fluid happening, capturing both the action and atmosphere with expressive marks in rapid time. Neiman's practice dissolves the separation between the so-called "fine" and commercial arts, using that painterly application, which became quite collectable by fans of golf, music, and the Olympics. Editor: The iconography suggests a carefully constructed tableau of human activity and ritualized practice, even elevating sports to a sphere of mythological reenactment. The composition gives an air of grandeur to the whole picture, and the visual motifs point towards lasting, even unchanging qualities associated with St Andrews, like it stands in as a landmark beyond mere sports. Curator: Yes, it is hard to escape that. A truly dynamic work. Editor: Quite. The symbolism and story combine for lasting impact.