American Bald Eagle 1979

Curator: This painting from 1979 is titled "American Bald Eagle," created by LeRoy Neiman in acrylic on canvas. It hits you right away, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely! It’s a wild, raw kind of beauty. Almost vibrates with energy. It feels more like a force of nature than just a bird. Curator: The brushstrokes themselves are like little explosions, the vibrant Fauvist color choices clash just perfectly, chaotic and somehow totally balanced at the same time. Editor: Color can indeed symbolize patriotism, courage, freedom - like how bald eagles themselves came to be those figures. You see how that beak juts out - is almost weapon-like! Those outstretched wings against a background suggesting landscape, also looks to me a sort of Fauvist map, could symbolize domination, a claiming of territory, almost... colonial! Curator: Right? There’s a boldness to Neiman’s whole approach that resonates so much with the national identity, but a kind of unpolished bravado. He isn't subtle! But, you know, for me there’s a palpable, almost painful freedom to that expression. As if the eagle itself is ripping through the canvas and bursting through! I think there’s some abstract expressionism here as well. Editor: Yes, exactly! It reminds us about a longing for unspoiled wilderness but perhaps we can't have the "unspoiled" part anymore because of "claiming territory". It almost embodies that duality – that we have power over nature, yet nature is more powerful than us at all. A primal totem… almost threatening with this kind of color scale and brushwork! Curator: The layers of symbolism make a piece far beyond just another image of the Bald Eagle, don’t they? More like a symbol of a nation facing its past, present, future. Editor: Definitely something to think about. Thanks for sharing.