Leroy Neiman Quotes

Powerful Leroy Neiman for Daily Growth

About Leroy Neiman

Leroy Neiman (1921-2012) was an American artist known for his dynamic, colorful, and expressive paintings that captured the essence of modern sports and cultural events. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 8, 1921, he grew up during the Great Depression, which later influenced his work with its vibrant colors reflecting a hopeful spirit amidst adversity. Neiman attended the Art Institute of Chicago but was drafted into the Army during World War II, where he served as an artist-reporter. This experience exposed him to diverse cultures and landscapes that would become recurring themes in his art. After the war, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in graphic arts. In 1954, Neiman moved to New York City, where he began his career as an illustrator for magazines such as Esquire and Sports Illustrated. However, it was his bold, action-packed paintings of sports events that gained him international recognition. From the Olympic Games to the Super Bowl, his work depicted the raw energy and excitement of athletic competition. Neiman's art style is characterized by its vivid colors, heavy brushstrokes, and a sense of movement. He used acrylic paint for its ability to create bold, dynamic images quickly, allowing him to capture the fleeting moments of sports action. Despite criticisms that his work was too commercial or superficial, Neiman saw himself as a storyteller, capturing the spirit and drama of the events he depicted. Throughout his career, Neiman received numerous awards and honors, including honorary degrees from several universities, induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Arts and Letters. His work can be found in museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 2012, Leroy Neiman passed away at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate audiences with its vibrant depictions of modern life's energy and excitement.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Art is a means of dissipating the uneasiness of being alive."

This quote suggests that art serves as an outlet for individuals to address and alleviate their feelings of discomfort or unease about life. By creating, artists can transform raw emotions into something tangible, providing a sense of purpose, relief, and understanding in the face of life's complexities. In essence, through art, people find ways to cope with the challenges of being alive.


"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."

This quote by Leroy Neiman suggests that an artist's unique perspective, emotions, experiences, and personality are reflected in their artworks. In other words, the art created by an artist is a visual representation of their inner self or essence. This interpretation emphasizes the importance of authenticity and individuality in artistic expression.


"Painting is an exploration of my emotions about what I'm seeing."

Leroy Neiman's quote suggests that painting, for him, is a means to express his emotional response towards the visual world around him. It's not just about capturing the physical appearance of things; rather, it involves translating the unique feelings and sentiments he experiences when witnessing them onto his canvas. This quote underscores the deeply personal aspect of artistic creation – how an artist's emotions and perspective can transform ordinary visual stimuli into extraordinary works of art that resonate with viewers on a deeper level.


"I always try to capture the feeling of the moment - that's what makes a good painting."

Leroy Neiman's quote emphasizes the importance of emotional resonance in his art. By "capturing the feeling of the moment," he suggests that his paintings should not only be accurate representations, but also evoke the raw emotion or ambiance present during the depicted event. This connection to the emotions associated with a specific moment is what, according to Neiman, defines a good painting.


"Art has the power to make people feel something, and that's a powerful gift."

Leroy Neiman's quote emphasizes the emotional impact that art can have on individuals. Art is not merely an aesthetic experience; it stirs emotions and elicits feelings within us. This ability to evoke emotions makes art a significant and meaningful gift, as it transcends traditional definitions of utility or practicality, allowing us to engage with complex human experiences and connect deeply with others.


I always stayed in tune with my own ambitions and attitudes and I'm still my intractable old self, for better or worse.

- LeRoy Neiman

Always, Attitudes, Still, My Own

It's not the act of arrogance to draw, it's humbling - you must use your God-given talent. And of all the people I sketch, in most cases I feel I have to measure up to the subject.

- LeRoy Neiman

Feel, Use, Subject, Cases

I've got the public. I don't care about the critics. I did at one time. I don't any more. I did when I needed compliments. But if you get a lot of compliments, you don't need a critic to tell you, 'This should be done another way.'

- LeRoy Neiman

Tell, Needed, Another, Another Way

There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life, it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's a belief, it's a calling. If you're an artist, doing your own thing on your own, it's while you're doing it that counts. It's a process. If you get too elated, you can get too depressed.

- LeRoy Neiman

Doing, Artist, Elated, Continuity

The big shock of my life was Abstract Expressionism - Pollock, de Kooning, those guys. It changed my work. I was an academically trained student, and suddenly you could pour paint, smear it on, broom it on!

- LeRoy Neiman

My Life, Big, Academically, Expressionism

I had a go at changing history - maybe not all by myself - I fought at the battle of Normandy, I slogged through the Ardennes, and I celebrated the liberation of Paris on the streets with beautiful French girls throwing flowers at me. I said good-bye to my first true love and discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.

- LeRoy Neiman

Love, My Life, Through, French

Some people try to paint in my style. Some simply sell pirated copies of my work. Some claim to be my publisher or agent or even my exclusive representative, when they are not.

- LeRoy Neiman

Work, Some, Agent, Claim

I've met and sketched most of the great athletes from the past five decades and their movement, grace and energy have kept me captivated over the years. That's what the ancient Greeks first saw and that's what caught my interest.

- LeRoy Neiman

Caught, Years, Greeks, Captivated

It has been difficult to hold onto many paintings but I have retained a few. Possibly the current favorite is titled 'Big Band' completed in 2005. It measures 13 feet x 9 feet. It has 18 nearly life size recognizable portraits of the biggest jazz stars that I knew and saw perform in the 1950s, '60s, '70s, '80s and includes Wynton Marsalis.

- LeRoy Neiman

Feet, Big, Been, Possibly

You know what I like about San Francisco? The women are beautiful, fashionable and smart. San Francisco is one of the only cities I like to visit. I love New York and Chicago - I studied there, and L.A. has the same people as New York.

- LeRoy Neiman

Love, About, Francisco, Fashionable

I have always said to young artists that scholastic training and the studying of art history are crucial to fully developing as an artist.

- LeRoy Neiman

Art, Studying, Always, Fully

The most important thing is to just do it. If I work at a higher level I have responsibility to do better than what I've done before. Sometimes the best happens - beyond possibility. Just do it. Can't worry about it.

- LeRoy Neiman

Before, Important Thing, Possibility

My lovely wife Janet has been in a few paintings. She is basically a reserved woman who has never sought the limelight. She has always been there throughout my career and continues to be at my side.

- LeRoy Neiman

Lovely, Always, Been, Limelight

When I paint, I seriously consider the public presence of a person - the surface facade. I am less concerned with how people look when they wake up or how they act at home. A person's public presence reflects his own efforts at image development.

- LeRoy Neiman

Wake Up, Own, Concerned, Reflects

No, I never had any dreams. The process of art is a dream in itself. The artist just doesn't... you work out something. It's yours. You don't have to go to sleep to do that. You do that on the canvas.

- LeRoy Neiman

Art, Process, Canvas, Yours

I played an artist in a comedy called 'Rooster.' It was a zany film by Glen Larson, a friend who produced several successful television series including 'Magnum PI.'

- LeRoy Neiman

Artist, Rooster, Including, Produced

The people who love my paintings, that respond to them the most, they're spectators, they're not viewers.

- LeRoy Neiman

Love, Most, Viewers, Spectators

I don't know if I'm an impressionist or an expressionist. You can call me an American first... I've been labeled doing neimanism, so that's what it is, I guess.

- LeRoy Neiman

Doing, Been, Labeled, Impressionist

Boxing is my real passion. I can go to ballet, theatre, movies, or other sporting events... and nothing is like the fights to me. I'm excited by the visual beauty of it. A boxer can look so spectacular by doing a good job.

- LeRoy Neiman

Beauty, Doing, Other, Spectacular

I can easily ignore my detractors and feel the people who respond favorably.

- LeRoy Neiman

Ignore, Feel, Easily, Respond

As I turn 91 this June 8th, I have to admit my hours at the easel have diminished.

- LeRoy Neiman

Admit, Hours, Diminished, June

I hold doors open for all the women. Men can open the doors for themselves.

- LeRoy Neiman

Men, Doors, Themselves, The Doors

The businessman says 'If I don't do it first, somebody else will.' The artist says 'If I don't do it first, nobody else will.'

- LeRoy Neiman

Artist, Will, Else, Nobody Else

I guess I created LeRoy Neiman. Nobody else told me how to do it. Well, I'm a believer in the theory that the artist is as important as his work.

- LeRoy Neiman

Work, Artist, Created, Nobody Else

But 'Playboy' was liberating. I was drawn to it and went for it full throttle.

- LeRoy Neiman

Playboy, Full, Drawn, Liberating

'Playboy' made the good life a reality for me and made it the subject matter of my paintings - not affluence and luxury as such, but joie de vivre itself.

- LeRoy Neiman

Made, Playboy, Subject, Luxury

Eating is one of the great beauties in life. One of my favorite recreations... eating with friends, the service, the ambience.

- LeRoy Neiman

Service, Great, Eating, Ambience

You can't take yourself too seriously.

- LeRoy Neiman

Yourself, Take, Too, Seriously

It's a nice feeling to go out in the world and look for excellence - the best in man. My subject is very valid. It's about people, and about life.

- LeRoy Neiman

Excellence, Very, Subject, Valid

I draw all the time. Drawing is my backbone. I don't think a painter has to be able to draw, I just think that if you draw, you better draw well.

- LeRoy Neiman

Think, Better, Painter, Draw

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