by F. Lanier Graham
Reprinted from The Prints of LeRoy Neiman, Volume I

THE MATURE WORK OF LeROY NEIMAN: Color, Form, & Action

Action was the third great stylistic problem that Neiman had to solve. But he was not conscious of this fact in his earliest years. He did not become aware of it until it was shocked out of him by his profound confrontation with the work of Jackson Pollock and the other Action Painters in 1953. His discovery of Action Painting was the most important discovery he made after symbolic color of Europe.

Before we look at how he got action into his paintings, let's pause for a moment and look at the physical motions that Neiman himself makes while he is working. Some of these actions are quite traditional. Some are quite unusual. The following quote is from the essay written for the catalogue of Neiman's retrospective exhibition at the Minnesota Museum of Art in 1975 by Malcom Lien:

"Neiman, working in a manner similar to that used by many earlier artists such as the Hudson River School, makes quick sketches and studies on the scene, at the event or spectacle. Whether in Las Vegas or Moscow, he always carries his sketchbook and a number of felt tipped pens, ready to catch the drama of the moment. Later, in his studio he develops and augments these sketches into finished oils, applying his paint rapidly and thickly onto canvas or panels of masonite which he prepares by coating with a thin application of polymer ground. But unlike the Hudson River School painters who composed their works in the quiet and tranquility of silence, Neiman surrounds himself with noise, sounds, and human activity. He describes his unusual working habits as follows: "When I work, I like to have a lot of people around me, a lot of action, sort of keeps the adrenalin going, I get up to a pitch, revved up...."

In other words, Neiman himself is always in motion. The pace of urban life is fast. And Neman is continuously moving at the high-intensity, neon pace of the Big City. It should not be surprising that he wanted to get all of this "action" into his painting. But how?

It was in 1953 that he was able to build on the clue that Pollock had provided, a clue that would enable Neiman to solve all of his most important formal problems at once: color, form and action.

Pollock painted with intense colors. His paintings are direct, vigorous, intensely powerful in their psychological effect. This is exactly what Neiman wanted in his own work. Even though he had no intention of eliminating the human figure, Neiman wanted to be able to capture the vigorous action of his figures by having vigorous action in his brushstroke.

The physical quality of the paint Pollock used played a large part. What did Pollock use? He used simple ordinary enamel housepaint. The liquidity of this kind of paint is very different from that of traditional paints that are so thick that they must be slowly loaded on the brush and then slowly layered on the canvas. Freely flowing paint makes possible fast-moving strokes. With fast-moving strokes, one can render the impression of fast-moving action.

One day in 1953, the custodian of the apartment house next door was cleaning out the basement of half-used paint cans, and gave him some of this enamel house paint. Neiman started to work immediately on a piece called Idle Boats. He got the effect he wanted, and was overjoyed. From that moment forward, Neiman knew he had begun to develop his mature style. In his own words, "that was when I hit my stride!"

Jackson Pollock, No. 2, 1949 (1949), Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute

The mature work of LeRoy Neiman had indeed begun. He now had all the elements he needed to create his own synthesis of color, form and motion. But he did not achieve this synthesis all at once. Moving in a direction that no one else was moving towards, he had a great deal of experimenting to do before the alchemy of his art could produce the gold he was after. There were years of groping uncertainty and self-doubt.

During the 1950s his palette remained relatively dark and he continued to make use of a number of compositional formulas that had nourished his work for years. There was little else to help him through his voyage toward an unknown goal. Along the way, he felt entirely free to quote passages from other painters, just as Shakespeare borrowed plots from fellow authors. He can "quote" with uncanny accuracy - an accuracy that infuriates many of his critics, and delights many of his supporters such as Andy Warhol who said in a 1978 interview with New Times: "I think he's wonderful. I watched him on the Olympics... every night from start to finish.... He was terrific. I'm doing sports figures myself now."

By 1960 the art of LeRoy Neiman could no longer be associated with that of his forerunners. He had become himself. He had become himself both as a person and as a painter. We don't think about it very much in quite this way. But the fact is that artists and the art they create are inseparable in many ways. This is one of the most rigorous aspects of what it means to become an artist. And this is one of the major reasons why few people ever dare to become artists, and why even fewer succeed. It is one of the most difficult challenges a human being can face. In the process, one must be able to become a highly integrated individual. Otherwise, there is no hope of being able to achieve one's own style.

George Bellows, Both Members of this Club (1909) National Gallery of Art, Gift of Chester Dale

Between 1954 and 1959, Neiman managed to shake all of those influences that had played such a large role in his development. He achieved uniqueness. By 1960 he was his own man. In the process of becoming his own man, at the psychological level, he created a radically new kind of style. The results of this style are filled with a new kind of light, much brighter colors, and a robust enthusiasm for portraying the highest points of human achievement in all fields of endeavor, or what Neiman calls "the winners." As a rule, his subjects are the people whom the public most admire - the sports stars, the music stars, the movie stars, the political stars - that glittering galaxy of people who have made it into America's living Hall of Fame.

A representative list of names of people he has portrayed includes: President Carter, Brigitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicklaus, Mickey Mantle, Louis Armstrong, Muhammed Ali, Beverly Sills, Margaret Mead, Salvador Dali, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Martin Luther King, Sr., Gina Lollobrigida, Art Buchwald, Joe Namath, Mark Spitz, Bobby Fischer, Leopold Stokowski, Duke Ellington, Jack Dempsey, Leonard Bernstein, Diana Ross, Bobby and Ted Kennedy, Reggie Jackson, Pele, Abdul Jabbar, Mae West, The Beatles.

But the fact is that artists and the art they create are inseparable in many ways. This is one of the most rigorous aspects of what it means to become an artist. And this is one of the major reasons why few people ever dare to become artists, and why even fewer succeed. It is one of the most difficult challenges a human being can face. In the process, one must be able to become a highly integrated individual. Otherwise, there is no hope of being able to achieve one's own style.