Green Table 1974

LeRoy Neiman’s “Green Table” bursts with the energy of a gambling scene. The roulette wheel—a potent symbol of chance, risk, and fate—dominates the composition. Wheels have captivated us for millennia. From the Wheel of Fortune in ancient Roman mosaics, symbolizing life's unpredictable ups and downs, to the Buddhist Dharma wheel representing spiritual enlightenment, its circular form suggests recurrence and inevitability. In Neiman’s rendition, the roulette wheel is rendered with frenetic brushstrokes, mirroring the heightened emotional state of those who surrender to fortune's capricious whims. Consider the tension here: the players, their faces a mix of hope and anxiety, caught in a ritual as old as time. This vivid scene evokes a raw, primal urge for risk, connecting us to humanity’s collective fascination with the unpredictable dance between destiny and despair. This primal urge echoes through history, resurfacing and evolving, yet forever bound to our shared human experience.