Get Shot 1972

Editor: So this is LeRoy Neiman’s "Get Shot," painted in 1972 using acrylic in an impasto style. It’s a tennis scene, and I’m struck by how much the materiality – those thick layers of paint – conveys the energy and movement of the game. What do you see here? Curator: The use of impasto is key. Neiman isn't just representing tennis; he's constructing it, layer by layer, reflecting the very labor of athletic exertion through the labor of applying paint. Consider the canvas itself as a site of production, mirroring the tennis court. Does this challenge the distinction between "high art" and the mass appeal of sports imagery? Editor: It definitely makes me think about how we value different kinds of labor. A tennis player's physical effort is celebrated, while the artist's physical engagement with the medium… maybe not as much? Are you saying he's trying to elevate this ‘sporting scene’ to the level of 'high art' by emphasizing his own physical and artistic input? Curator: Precisely! It pushes us to consider the social context of art production. Neiman, popular for his illustrations, often blurred those lines. By foregrounding the physicality of painting – the brushstrokes, the layering – he asks us to value the act of creation itself, not just the image depicted. Think about the implications for art that aims to capture reality or comment on popular culture. Does it also participate in a consumerist culture through production? Editor: That makes me reconsider the 'plein-air' tag, too. The painting captures an 'instant', but that instant is very constructed, with the visible labour of applying paint bringing forward the production. Curator: Yes, think of Neiman as almost “performing” the act of painting on location – capturing not just a visual impression but the energy and spectacle of the event, turning art creation itself into a spectacle, not different from sports. Editor: This has totally changed how I see Neiman's work. I'd previously looked past it because it looks kind of cartoonish, but actually there’s a strong statement about labor going on here! Curator: Absolutely, and the focus on material and labor enriches our engagement. It allows us to delve more deeply into the connection between creative endeavor and production processes.