Module 5: Art Analysis of "Baseball at Night"
Baseball at Night was painted in 1934 using oil paint on linen. It was painted by Morris Kantor. This painting depicts a baseball game taking place at night. There are stadium lights shining down on the field and the crowd. The crowd is on the outer edges of the painting. They go from being in the foreground to being the background. The main subject is the players on the baseball field. The players and referees are in the midst of a play. It appears that the pitcher is just winding up a throw and the batter and the other players are anticipating the ball. In the background you can also see the building that the announcers stay in and the appearance of a residential house. You cannot see the dugout where the players stay when they are not on the field. The lines of this painting are bulky and not presice. The artist did not put a lot of detail in the faces or bodies of the subjects. The majority of the light comes from the stadiums' lights so the center of the field is the most lit up and the light disperses from there. There is a lot of motion going on in the painting as well. The runners are getting ready to go, the pitcher is mid-throw, and the crowd is moving about. I think the purpose of this painting is to depict the American sport of baseball and let the viewer feel like they went to game. I can almost smell the hotdogs and beer in this photo and hear the baseball slang being shouted. The tone of this painting is playful and realistic. It also depicts the unity of Americans; this sport is very important to our culture. Overall, I love this painting because it brings my own memories of going to baseball games to the surface of my thoughts.
Morris Kantor, Baseball at Night, 1934, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor, 1976.146.18
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