Rugby

Willamette Rugby Sally K. Smith

I have always admired Max Beckmann's Rugby Players painting. So when my stepson Alex started playing rugby I knew I'd certainly take on a rugby painting. The push and tangle of bodies makes for constant visual engagement. It reminds me of the overlapping legs of horses and soldiers in a Pierro della Francesca. Moreover, the rugby uniforms usually have interesting stripes and patterns. And because the uniforms aren't overloaded with padding, it is easy to read the body movements.

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Pierro della Francesca Battle of Milvian Bridge

Philip Guston also liked to paint tangled legs and objects and was an obvious fan of Pierro della Francesca. Guston always had a couple of postcards with Pierro della Francesca reproductions pinned to his kitchen wall.  As for Beckmann, he was also a fan of Pierro della Francesca. I wonder if he was thinking of Francesca when he painted his Rubgy Players painting.

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Philip Guston Monument

Max Beckmann Rugby Players