Apparently, LeRoy Neiman has died.

[xfundy]

He, like Salvador Dali, found his greatest success in the form of PR.

Both made interesting illustrations.

Not even going to wade into a argument about "What is Art?" Duchamp said it best:

"When an artist spits, it's art."

As an artist myself, I do what i like to do on a canvas or anywhere. It is highly therapeudic, but approval only matters if the client pays for it.

Real innovators are usually crushed by corporations regardless of industry. Same as it ever was.

[elleng]

1. APPARENTLY?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/arts/leroy-neiman-prolific-painter-of-sports-dies-at-91.html?hp

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014148482

[rufus dog]

2. Is there a multi-colored real life painting of his death?

If not I don't believe it.

[cthulu2016]

3. An appalling artist. The Thomas Kinkade of his era

The only thing Neiman ever did worth a damn was drawing the "femlin," the little pen and ink drawings in the early years of Playboy.

Also like Salvidor Dali, he had a Salvidor Dali mustache.

[elleng]

4. Oh yeah.

[Sherman A1]

5. I liked some of his work

so your have your opinion and I have mine.

[joeybee12]

6. So do I...he specialized in sports...

And he captured some things nicely, some things shlockily, but all in all ok. RIP

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed

I am no sports fan, so those pieces were not to my liking, but I had one print that I believe it was called Red Square and it was kinda cool.

[CTyankee]

9. do you think that over time he will be regarded more kindly?

I never cared for the zeitgeist he was so famous for, so I never paid too much attention to him. But as a student of art history, I wonder. Rubens cranked out lots of "his" stuff (to whatever extent it was his) and with a few notable exceptions, art critics are supportive of him (I think John Updike was a detractor in some of his essays, IIRC).

It may be that Neiman's work will be respected as illustrative art, much as Varga girls are or N.C. Wyeth's manly stuff. It seems to me that people "like" certain artists just for the value of what they represent, without too much regard for any aesthetic ideal...

[cthulu2016]

13. No, he is utterly dated...

and there is no real respect for him in the illustration art community.

[CTyankee]

17. I can see how his utter crassness must not play well with that community!

What do you think people see in his stuff?

[CTyankee]

10. re: femlin. I like Klimt's drawings of women much sexier and more complex. Femlin does have a

certain satirical sheen that makes me smile, but Klimt offers a lot more complexity...I love the way the women are essentially saying the hell with the (male) viewer...that makes me laugh...

[cthulu2016]

11. Hey... I didn't say he was better than Klimt!

Just that the femlin drawings were better than Neimen's paintings.

For small line drawing of women, I'll take Heinrich Kley over either of them.

[CTyankee]

12. here's a good example of what I meant by 'tude of Klimt's women

[IMG][/IMG]

[cthulu2016]

14. Yeah, but Schiele is better (when talking about drawing)

I love Klimt but in the narrow field of quick life drawings of masturbating models, Schiele is better.

But Klimt is a lot better than Rodin!!!

Rodin's endless gynecological doodles are barely drawings... more just a record of how someone passed the time.

(Do you know the R. B. Kitaj drawing "After Rodin"? Very wry.)

[CTyankee]

15. Yes, Schiele is fascinating and the more complex. But I do like Klimt's wispiness...

When I did a Challenge on The Male Gaze I was tempted to use Gustav Courbet image's in "The Origin of the World." I did not do so because, while it does not bother me, some DUers might have been upset and my purpose with the Challenge is not to do that. But anyone can Google it.

The back story on this work is that the model is Joanna Hiffernan who, at the time of the painting was Whistler's mistress. Whistler knew she was a model for his friend Courbet but when he saw this he never spoke to him again. Not sure that's true...but a good story nonetheless...

[trumad]

8. I thought he was great with his sports art.

[AngryAmish]

16. On MSNBC some years ago, they followed Imus to go vote

(I used to have insomnia)

Anyway, he got to his polling place when it opened. The only person ahead of him, walking around in the background was said painter Neiman. I was looking at him and trying to figure out how I knew that cat. Then someone piped in and named him.

And that, a dozen or so years ago, was the last time I thought of LeRoy Neimam.