Artist notes on 'Boston Champs'
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What do you see in this painting (click on the image for a larger version) besides a bunch of Red Sox celebrating their first World Series victory in 86 years?
According to the artist, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Below you'll find some exclusive notes from painter Opie Otterstad on what exactly he was thinking. Read what our users thought about the painting. Continue below for the artist's thoughts ... |
Artist's notes:The Boston Champs painting contains some extra tidbits that help the painting tell some of the history behind this historic win.I will start at the top. High above Busch Stadium in the night sky, Babe Ruth looks down over the celebrating players. With his mighty hands he shards a document that reads "The Curse of the Bambino, January 3rd, 1920" in twain. Behind George Herman in the night sky you can see left center to center in Fenway Park. The scoreboard on the far right features the years of Red Sox World Series victories. From the first World Series in 1903 led by the great Cy Young, to the teens dominance of the Tris Speaker led clubs, the conspicuous eighty-six year gap and finally, 2004. In the center at the top is the number 86. During the telecast of game four, the announcers continually made reference to "eighty-sixing the curse". To "86" means several things in different settings. In this case it was used in the restaraunt venacular meaning, "to do away with" or "to be out of something". It's original phrasing was to "86 it outta here", meaning to leave or be dismissed in short order.The original etymology of the word dates back to the era of prohibition. In 1927, at 86 Bedford Street in New York City, Chumley's Pub was founded as a speakeasy in Greenwich Village. The pub, which is still in operation marked only by the 86 on the door, still maintains it's secret exits to other streets in this quiet neighborhood. The "86" in this painting is taken from a charcoal rubbing of the very "86" that adorns the door of Chumley's Pub. In each of the arches above Busch Stadium are the numbers of great Red Sox players who never won the World Series with the Sox or were never left for the Yankees and then won (Boggs and Clemens). The permanently retired numbers are there of course, as well as numbers that have been shared by some great players in the past 86 years. Out on the Busch Stadium scoreboard are found the box score for game four on the right. The division order for the Cardinals division in the National League and the name of the last batter retired, Edgar Renteria. The flags of past Cardinal Word Series wins are seen on the left hand side in red. The flags are chronological from left to right. The last time these two teams met in the Series was in 1967 with the Cardinals taking home the hardware. The fist of Curt Schilling covers the spot in which that flag resides. The original painting is 86" X 60". One inch tall for every year of Red Sox tears. Where is Kevin Millar? While he was painted into the first completion of this work, he is a non-union player. So therefore, in order to be licensed by the Player's Association he cannot appear in the print. You can find the back of his head, in profile, next to Terry Francona on the left side of the pile. What photo is this from? This is not from a photo, it is a composite image of many moments during the celebration. In order to capture the faces of as many players as possible, a new vision of the dogpile had to be realized. Photos, video, some of the artist's hands and feet, and some made up features went into this final image. -- Opie Otterstad |
