I love the lines in Barnes' basketball painting. The long rectangular canvas becomes another shape for the figures and lines to exist. If you follow the lines of their arms to their feet, it makes a triangle/pyramid. Our eyes love the dynamic angles of triangles, and the focal point often becomes its apex, but in religious painting, it also symbolically connects with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And, for many, sport (and music!) has almost become a religious experience.
His 'Sugar Shack' is also brilliant. You can feel the heat, smell the sweat, and hear the funky jazz! It, too, owes a lot to the triangle/pyramid. The obvious is the light with its triangular beam, but the composition also reminds me a lot of DaVinci's 'Last Supper!'
Regarding dance, my wife is a dancer and teacher. We often go to NYC to visit our daughter in late May and also time it to go to Dance Africa in Brooklyn. While there we also keep our eyes out for something in Manhattan (last year we went to the Joyce Theatre and saw a fantastic production of Salsa set around Goya's paintings!).
How interesting! I love your insights into Barnes paintings, and that you find them as captivating as I do. It's always such a pleasure when readers respond to something I've shared with equal enthusiasm. Thank you so much for reading and replying, Michael.
I love the lines in Barnes' basketball painting. The long rectangular canvas becomes another shape for the figures and lines to exist. If you follow the lines of their arms to their feet, it makes a triangle/pyramid. Our eyes love the dynamic angles of triangles, and the focal point often becomes its apex, but in religious painting, it also symbolically connects with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And, for many, sport (and music!) has almost become a religious experience.
His 'Sugar Shack' is also brilliant. You can feel the heat, smell the sweat, and hear the funky jazz! It, too, owes a lot to the triangle/pyramid. The obvious is the light with its triangular beam, but the composition also reminds me a lot of DaVinci's 'Last Supper!'
Regarding dance, my wife is a dancer and teacher. We often go to NYC to visit our daughter in late May and also time it to go to Dance Africa in Brooklyn. While there we also keep our eyes out for something in Manhattan (last year we went to the Joyce Theatre and saw a fantastic production of Salsa set around Goya's paintings!).
How interesting! I love your insights into Barnes paintings, and that you find them as captivating as I do. It's always such a pleasure when readers respond to something I've shared with equal enthusiasm. Thank you so much for reading and replying, Michael.