THE WORK OF ERNIE BARNES
(Provided by The Company of Art)

Hailed as the father of the Neo-Mannerist style, Ernie Barnes is widely regarded as one of this country's foremost figurative painters and the leading African-American artist living today.

The power, grace, intensity, and fluidity of his work - combined with his unique Neo-Mannerist style and depictions of Genre and sports themes - have given him an unqualified place in the history of modern art and an international following.

Getlein based his conclusion on an examination of a number of the artist's paintings. Among them, he noted how Barnes' "High Aspirations" had "all the characteristics of Mannerism: fantastically elongated length of body and limbs; the serpentine line of the body as it reaches for the basket; the purity of the austere colors of the whole scene; and the use of space for purpose of isolation and hence intensification of the figure and its effort and feeling."

Getlein called Barnes' "Sugar Shack" "a stunning demonstration of the fusion of Neo-Mannerism and Genre painting that Barnes alone has perfected and practices. The dances of ordinary people have been a standard subject of Genre painting since it was invented by Breughel. The perfectly-controlled lighting and the elaborate poses of the elongated figures are class Mannerism. 'Sugar Shack' effortlessly combines the two heritages in Neo-Mannerism Genre painting. Any Mannerist painter would be proud of the succession of figures in the main, central group of dancers, but the whole is infused with the innocent exuberance of Breughel and his fellow Flemings."

Of Barnes' "The Gospel Truth," Getlein wrote: "The skillful crowd management, the dramatic contrast of light and dark and of colors within both, the exaggerated postures, the strong sense of the spirit choreographing all movement, all that would be right at home among Tintoretto's scenes from scripture on the ceiling of the School of San Rocco in Venice."

In tribute, Getlein also surmised that "the inner strength of Ernie Barnes's unique combination of Mannerist and Genre painting comes from the fact that he did not consciously set out to copy either one. He devised his own Neo-Mannerism out of his own all-but-unique-among-artist's knowledge of the experience of competitive athletics. And he painted Genre subjects not because he wanted to paint Genre pictures, but because the subjects were realities he had known all his life or was newly-getting acquainted with. Like all original art, the art of Ernie Barnes has sprung from the artist's encounter with life, not from his contemplation of art.

"The result of that is a direct connection between the art of Ernie Barnes and the lives of most of the people who see his art. The art works on two levels, neither one 'higher' than the other, just different, in different locations within the mind. On one level we grasp the masterful artistry: the tight, superb composition, the precise elongation of the figures, the impact of the pure colors. The coming together of all these elements make the Neo-Mannerist art of Ernie Barnes. We respond to these as we do to great performances at the opera or the theater. On the other level, all these things work together upon the subject matter and within us: we feel the body straining toward the tape at the end of the race; the long lift of the boy tilting the ball into his homemade basket, the roadhouse dancer arching her body toward and away from that of her partner; the Sunday celebrant of religious service being carried away by the music of the hymn, the words of the Gospel, the vision of the New Life.

"All these motions, all these bodies, all these colors and shapes, become, for a moment, ourselves. Art cannot give us more."

Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Barnes grew up in the segregated South at a time when Blacks were not admitted to art museums. He preferred to draw while his high school classmates turned out for sports; nonetheless, Barnes graduated with 26 athletic scholarship offers, making it possible for him to attend North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University). He was immediately drafted into the American Football League (now the NFL), and spent the next five years playing for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.

In 1965, New York Jets owner David (Sonny) Werblin recognized Barnes' artistic potential and replaced his football salary for a year, so he could devote himself to painting. At the end of it, Barnes made his professional debut in a solo exhibition at New York's prestigious Grand Central Art Galleries, home to such American masters as Edward Hopper and Thomas Hart Benton.

Soon after, Barnes settled in Los Angeles and approached Benjamin Horowitz of the Heritage Gallery -- which exhibited Hopper, Benton and Charles White, among other leading Genre painters -- but got turned down "because I was doing sports imagery."

Barnes acknowledges that at the time he had not yet acquired a "point of view" necessary to fuel his career. "My world had been sports. So that was pretty much all that had surfaced in me, or come alive in me."

For the next four years, he continued to focus on sports subjects, which were featured in a series of solo exhibitions at the McKenzie Gallery in Los Angeles - hosted by Heisman Trophy-winner Tom Harmon, film star Charlton Heston, and renowned writer Adela Rogers St. John.

A major turning point in Barnes' career came in 1971. Following a solo showing at the Agra Gallery in Washington, D.C. -- hosted by Congressmen Jack Kemp and John Conyers -- he moved to an all-Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles known as the Fairfax District.

Suddenly steeped in a culture that was rich in its own traditions, along with the humor and wit that had allowed its residents to survive poverty and the horrors of the concentration camps, Barnes learned to appreciate the milieu of his own roots - notably, the Segregated South of his childhood that embraced many of the same beliefs and had developed its own culture of coping with the hopelessness of racial discrimination, lack of education, and economic distress.

"Fairfax enlivened me to everyday life themes," he says, "and forced me to look at my life - the way I had grown up, the customs within my community versus the customs in the Jewish community. Theirs were documented, ours were not. Because we were so clueless that our own culture had value and because of the phrase 'Black is Beautiful' had just come into fashion, Black people were just starting to appreciate themselves as a people. But when it was said, 'I'm Black and I'm Proud,' I said, 'Proud of what?' And that question of 'proud of what' led to a series of paintings that became 'The Beauty of the Ghetto.'"

Barnes' landmark exhibition, "The Beauty of the Ghetto," marked the beginning of his Genre period. In 1972, it debuted at the distinguished Heritage Gallery, before beginning a nationwide tour to museums around the country -- hosted by such dignitaries as Ethel Kennedy, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, and Durham (North Carolina) Mayor James Hawkins.

While continuing to exhibit around the country, Barnes' work was increasingly sought by investors, art collectors, celebrities and professional athletes.

Notably, one of Barnes' most ardent supporters and collectors was television producer and writer Danny Arnold, whose fine arts collection included Chagalls and Miros, amassed over eighteen paintings by Barnes, beginning in 1969.

In 1974, Arnold also introduced Barnes to renowned television producer Norman Lear, who subsequently commissioned Barnes to paint a series of original pieces for his new television CBS sitcom, "Good Times," loosely modeled the "JJ" character on the artist's life and work. He featured what would become Barnes' most famous work, "Sugar Shack," in the show's opening credits for four years. "Sugar Shack" was also used as cover art for the Marvin Gaye album "I Want You."

In 1984, Barnes was selected out of a field of world-renowned painters as the official sports artist for the Los Angeles Olympic Summer Games for which he created a series of five pieces representing the agony and ecstasy of the competitors, which were reproduced as Olympic posters. Barnes also served as spokesman to inner-city youth.

In 1995, Barnes' autobiography, "From Pads to Palette," was published, featuring both his early sketchbooks and celebrated sports paintings from early in his career - along with a moving account of his passion for art from an early age, unlikely evolution from a shy, overweight child into a professional football player for five seasons, and the rarely-revealed physical and emotional trauma at the center of the game.

In the foreword, Barnes' long-time friend and San Diego Chargers' teammate, former Congressman Jack Kemp, wrote: "Ernie is a living manifestation of the American Dream. On a personal level, I am so pleased that Ernie's sketchbooks dating back thirty years have been unearthed. They are a blueprint of how perseverance, moral stamina, tenacity and courage can transform a hard-working, fiercely-competitive, mud-stained, old left guard into an accomplished, successful and revered artist. It happens. It happened to my teammate Ernie Barnes."

That same year, Barnes was the only living artist included in the highly-praised travelling exhibition, "Exultations: 20th Century Masterworks by African American Artists" - one of the first major shows to survey the important contributions of African-American artists to our nation's cultural fabric and to spotlight the rich diversity of Black experience during the last one hundred years.

Since the early 1990s, Barnes has been primarily occupied with major commissions and the demand for new work by passionate collectors. Among his private commissions have been:

"The Metamorphosis of Rocky" (1988) for actor Sylvester Stallone, which presents the story of the first four "Rocky" motion pictures within the framework of a champion belt in a mural that measures 6 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft. The piece marked the first time that Barnes had used myth as a subject.

"Meeting the Challenge" (1992), commissioned by an alumni of Seton Hall University, where the mural hangs today. Measuring 6 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft., the inspiring piece provides an engaging history of the university itself, highlighting both its origins and the guiding educational vision of its founders. Notably, the work promotes Barnes' unyielding vision of racial and ethnic harmony by showing people of all backgrounds celebrating the past, participating in the present, and anticipating the future with hope and confidence.

"The Dream Unfolds" (1996) for the National Basketball Association to commemorate their 50th Anniversary, which now hangs at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

"Victory in Overtime" (1996), commissioned by Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers NFL expansion team. The two had played together in the early 1960's for the Baltimore Colts. In keeping with the Mannerist tradition, the 6 ft. 10 in. by 13 ft. 10 in. piece is filled with epic drama - incorporating the energy and dedication of a team in graphic, emotive and physical terms. Its dynamic composition is accentuated by a single stream of movement emanating out from No. 87, who is hovering triumphantly in mid-air with the ball firmly in his grasp.

Other highlights in Barnes' career include the donation of "The Advocate" in 1998 to the North Carolina Central University School of Law by Donna Arnold in honor of her late husband, Danny. One of Barnes' most celebrated pieces, "The Advocate" was influenced by a childhood growing up in the Jim Crow era of the segregated South, giving it the resonance of Barnes' deeply-held beliefs in the just application of the law, the clear-eyed administration of constitutionality, and the integrity of the legal process for all people - especially those without resources or influence.

Barnes' latest work, "In Remembrance," a painting that uniquely commemorates the tragic events of September 11th, has been acquired by Robert Green, the Chairman of Greenwood Racing, Inc. and owner of Philadelphia Park, on behalf of the People of the City of Philadelphia. Representing what Barnes felt was a moral responsibility to use his art as a visual map to trace the enormity of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and to rally humanity to deal with events which defy understanding, this significant piece was also unveiled at the Seattle Art Museum last fall at a private reception.

Barnes' work is known to millions of people today through both the hit television show, "Good Times," and as the cover art on such popular albums as Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" in 1996, "Donald Byrd and 125th Street, NYC" in 1979, and B.B. King's "Making Love is Good for You" in 2000.

Much of Barnes' career has been committed to producing works of art that accentuate humanity in all its glory. In his hands, a paint brush has become a powerful tool in provoking, enlightening, and inspiring a deeper understanding of the world we all inhabit and share, regardless of cultural and ethnical differences.

View the Ernie Barnes Black Art Gallery