Jaguar Family 1980

LeRoy Neiman made this colourful painting of a Jaguar Family, but when I look at it I can’t help but think about the *process* he must have gone through to make it. The texture is thick, really thick! It feels like he was slapping on the paint with brushes AND knives. Look closely and you can see the individual marks and gestures that make up the whole. I’m particularly drawn to how Neiman used colour to build the jaguars’ bodies - there’s a real sense of weight, even though the colours are more like abstract blobs than realistic renderings. The effect is both playful and powerful. It reminds me a little of Joan Mitchell, though Neiman has a pop sensibility that’s all his own. Ultimately, this painting feels like a celebration of the joy and energy of painting itself.