St. Paul Ramsey County Bicentennial 

Editor: Here we have LeRoy Neiman's "St. Paul Ramsey County Bicentennial," created with acrylics. The riot of color is just incredible! It’s… festive, I think? The horses above the cityscape almost feel like a dream. What symbols jump out at you? Curator: Those horses, rendered with such vibrant energy, resonate on multiple levels. Horses, throughout history, have represented power, freedom, even nobility. Here, their dynamism evokes the energy and spirit of a bicentennial celebration. Editor: So, more than just horses, but stand-ins for ideas? Curator: Precisely. Look how Neiman juxtaposes them against the cityscape. It is St. Paul itself. But is it merely representational? Note how it dissolves into strokes of blue, almost as if emerging from or returning to a dreamlike state. The years, "1776-1976", float nearby. The canvas acts as a symbolic bridge between a tangible place and abstract time. Editor: I hadn't considered that interplay. It’s like the city's history is this vibrant, living thing rather than a static set of dates. Curator: Exactly! And the vivid color palette – reminiscent of Fauvism – amplifies the emotional impact. Notice the layering. Each stroke adds not just color, but a layer of meaning, contributing to the overall cultural memory. The bicentennial marks both reflection and anticipation of what's to come, much like cultural symbols act as windows into both past and future. Editor: I'm starting to see so many interconnected ideas that are revealed when you decode the visual language here. Thanks for opening my eyes to the deeper symbolism at play. Curator: It is Neiman's distinct gift of encapsulating cultural vibrancy through layered visual language, capturing fleeting emotional resonance in solid, pigmented form.