Larry Bird & Magic Johnson 1988

LeRoy Neiman captured Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with paint that’s almost as energetic as their games. Just look at the dominant gestures and bold colors. You can almost see Neiman at work, building up the image through trial and error, letting intuition guide the way. I imagine him thinking about the texture of the canvas as he worked, the way the paint would catch the light, the perfect shades to capture this iconic rivalry. Check out the brushstrokes. The way they're thick in some spots and thin in others, creating a sense of movement and depth. And the colors, wow! They really make the whole scene pop, don’t they? Neiman's work reminds me of other artists who capture movement, like Umberto Boccioni with his Futurist paintings. But Neiman brings his own flair, his love of sport, his way of making you feel like you're right there in the game. And that's what painting is all about, right? Sharing ideas, inspiring each other, letting the paint lead the way. There's no one way to see this painting, and that's what makes it so cool.