Brandy at Lutece 1974

LeRoy Neiman made this sketch, Brandy at Lutece, with ink on paper, and it's all about capturing a fleeting moment. It's like Neiman's hand was just zipping across the page, trying to keep up with the scene in front of him. Look at those quick, scribbled lines that make up the figures and the objects on the table. They're not precious or fussy, just raw and immediate. He's not trying to get every detail perfect, but rather to capture the feeling of being there, in that moment. There's a sense of energy and spontaneity that comes through, like he's saying, "This is what I saw, this is how it felt." The way he uses black ink – sometimes thick and bold, sometimes thin and scratchy – adds to that sense of immediacy. See how he uses a few quick strokes to suggest the woman's hair, or the shadows on the man's face? It's all about suggestion and implication, leaving room for your imagination to fill in the gaps. You can think of Toulouse Lautrec, who worked similarly trying to capture the life of bars and restaurants with a few quick marks. Ultimately, it's not about what's there, but about the feeling it evokes.