Super Bowl XXIII 1989

LeRoy Neiman made this painting of Super Bowl XXIII with what looks like very quick, decisive marks. The energy is high! It's less about getting the details right, and more about capturing the feeling of the game, the speed and the spectacle. I like how Neiman uses thick paint, almost sculptural in places, to build up the figures. Look at the way he renders the crowd, with dabs and dashes of every color imaginable. Up close, it's chaos, but from a distance, it all comes together. There is something about the way he embraces a kind of controlled chaos which gives the piece its dynamism. Neiman's work has a lot in common with that of Peter Max. Both artists really embraced popular culture and used a vibrant, almost psychedelic palette. Both also prove that art doesn’t always have to be serious to be good; sometimes, it just needs to be fun!