This is about artist's interpretations of a game steeped in tradition. It is the 14th year of the Fine Art of Baseball Exhibition at the George Krevsky Gallery downtown.
"The artists themselves have been able to capture the history, the legends, the color, the passion of what the game is about," said Krevsky.
From poignant moments like Yogi Berra saying farewell to the old Yankee stadium, to the exhilaration of a World Series title parade last fall. There is an emphasis on all things Giants this year, like a painting autographed by Willie Mays, a sculpture of AT&T Park complete with boats in McCovey Cove, and a painting of Barry Bonds going for the home run record signed to his doctor. There is also a wall of Giants past and present and one framed to "fear the beard."
You can almost smell the newly-mown grass. All that's missing are the garlic fries and the hot dogs. This is an exhibition that really captures the emotion and the artistry of baseball.
Krevsky calls a depiction of a young Mickey Mantle a virtuoso painting. "If you look at this painting, the pallet… but it's also about strategy, it's about youth and maturity."
On a painting of Bob Feller and his family in the style of American Gothic, Krevsky describes it as, "The simplicity of a young man who grew up on a farm and found his way to fame and fortune as a pitcher for the 1948 Cleveland Indians."
There are two commissioned jerseys. A Giants shirt conceals baseballs, a panda, and a thong. Another artist put a poem on Mark McGwire's Oakland A's shirt and a legal definition on the back.
Even so, this is a show that is about the essence of the game. It is up until May 28.
