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Opie's 55' Brooklyn Dodgers |
There may be no rivalry in sports history more noted than the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. And for over a decade the nation watched these two teams battle to the bitter end year after year as they faced each other in the World Series 5 |
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times between 1941 and 1953. Each year the Yankees defeated the Dodgers. Leaving the Brooklyn fans saying "wait 'til next year."
This was more then a friendly rivalry between two teams. This defined a generation of New Yorker's and baseball fans. it was blue collar vs. white collar, neighborhood vs. neighborhood, neighbor vs. neighbor, and it was a feud that took a game otherwise measured one season at a time, to an epic of baseball history. |
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Karl Spooner |
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Jackie Robinson |
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Fan seen in all photos |
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Joe Black |
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Sandy Amoros |
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Duke Binder |
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Sandy Koufax |
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Don Hoak |
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Tommy Lasorda* |
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Roy Campenella |
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Press - (symbolicly Opie) |
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Johnny Podres |
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Jim "Junior" Gilliam |
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Gil Hoges |
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Don Zimer |
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Glem Labine |
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Charlie DiGiovanni (batboy) |
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Roger Craig |
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Don Newcombe |
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Frank Kellert |
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Carl Erskine |
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Carl Furillo |
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Billy Loes |
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Walt Moryn |
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Pee Wee Reese |
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Fan |
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Ed Roetnick |
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Russ Meyer |
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Whether it's a painting of Coopers Town at the birth of the game or this years world series champs, no one captures the romance of baseball's history like Opie Otterstad. This is because Opie paints the game from within. He has become, in some respect, as much a part of baseball as the players on the field who he spends much of his year with. It is from this perspective that Opie shares with us his reverence for the games past and present.
In Opie's latest work '55 Brooklyn Dodgers, his powerful and unique perspective is |
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clear, as Opie has captured the magic moment when the Dodgers finally conquered their historic foes, by winning the world series. The feelings that filled Yankee Stadium that October 5th must have been intoxicating, as the long awaited day was finally reached.
As is typical to Opie's paintings, he has given more then a snap-shot of a famous moment. He has woven into it the many stories, big and small, that created it; starting with an homage to one fans day in the sun, who is seen in all the on field celebration photos, the inclusion of the bat boy Charlie DiGiovanni, above the scene the box score on the scoreboard, along with the team line-up and count on the last Yankee hitter up - Elston Howard, Koufax's more then human reaction with his hands over his head, Sandy Omoros running in from left field where he just made the game saving catch, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson have been painted close to each other showing their important friendship, and a reporter running onto the field representing both the witnessing the long wait for this moment and the artist himself. |
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In Opie's own words "It is also (speaking of the reporter) a very loose reference to myself - feeling a part of this moment after months of research on this painting."
All the best
Limelight Agency |
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Hand Enhanced |
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26" x 41" Giclee on canvas |
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