Ernie Barnes - The Trap, African American, Original Oil, 27x23, circa 1968

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Ernie Barnes - The Trap, African American, Original Oil, 27x23, circa 1968:
$15000.00

The Trap, original oil on canvas, circa 1968

Excellent Condition.Critics have defined Barnes\' work as neo-mannerist. Based on his signature use of serpentine lines, elongation of the human figure, clarity of line, unusual spatial relationships, painted frames, and distinctive color palettes, art critic Frank Getlein credited Barnes as the founder of the neo-Mannerism movement - because of the similarity of technique and composition prevalent during the 16th century, as practiced by such masters as Michelangelo and Raphael.

Barnes credits his college art instructor Ed Wilson for laying the foundation for his development as an artist. Wilson was a sculptor who instructed Barnes to paint from his own life experiences. \"He made me conscious of the fact that the artist who is useful to America is one who studies his own life and records it through the medium of art, manners and customs of his own experiences.\"

In December 1959 Barnes was drafted in the 10th round by the then-World Champion Baltimore Colts. He was originally selected in the 8th-round by the Washington Redskins, who renounced the pick minutes after discovering he was a Negro. Barnes was invited to see the Colts\' NFL Championship Game vs. the New York Giants at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Colts won 31-16 and Barnes was filled with layers of emotion after watching the game from behind the Colts\' bench. He had just signed his football contract and met his new teammates Johnny Unitas, Jim Parker, Lenny Moore, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti, Alan Ameche and \"Big Daddy\" Lipscomb, who Barnes called \"the greatest defensive tackle in the game.\"

Ernie Barnes has been called one of the leading sports artists of the modern era, and Barnes\'s own unique experiences have given his canvases an intensity not often found in works of fine art. His figures are muscular, larger than life, and always shown with their eyes closed. Barnes\'s paintings, depicting all the glory and fear inside the moment of an athletic challenge, have won praise from critics and collectors alike. Writing in the New York Times, Diane K. Shah called his art \"unusual and haunting.... Barnes\'s portraits seem almost to look into an athlete\'s soul.\" A former professional football player in his younger days, Barnes knows only too well the demands that physical challenges place upon the soul. \"Sports mirrors life perfectly,\" Barnes told Shah. \"You get knocked down, you have to come back, harder.\"