By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, December 13, 2024
Artist Lucy McTier, whose painting of Chrissie Evert is above, is one of 45 different artists represented in David Linebarger’s new book Tennis Players as Works of Art.
Photo credit: Lucy McTier/Tennis Players as Works of Art
Visionary champions turn the court to canvas creating animated points within a rectangular box.
Artists bring competitors to canvas portraying the pulsating beauty of players’ creative process in a new book.
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Forty-five different contemporary artists share their vision of the art of tennis in David Linebarger’s new book Tennis Players as Works of Art.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Chrissie Evert, John Isner, Suzanne Lenglen, Monica Seles and Serena Williams are among the players appearing as art work in the 284-page book.
Just how many ways can we see a tennis player as a piece of art?
That core question is credential to David Linebarger’s book.
A former guitar player, whose classical music career was cut short by injury, Linebarger earned a Ph.D. in English at UC Davis before becoming a Professor of Humanities at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In addition, Linebarger is a nationally-ranked tennis player in his age group, who applies his knowledge of the sport to explore tennis through a prism of art, literature, music and mythology in the book.
Linebarger spent seven years compiling paintings, photos and sculptures from contemporary artists capturing the dynamic style of the sport.
“Each short piece in this collection is creative, lyrical, insightful, and occasionally surprising,” Linebarger said.
Can you imagine Roger Federer’s tennis as a classic Greek sculpture? Consider King of Clay Rafael Nadal’s game reimagined in prehistoric cave paintings or 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams reimagined as grand graffiti diva.
Suzanne Lenglen by artist Brooke Hunter
Vitas Gerulaitis by artist Joan Lemay
Independent Book Review named Tennis Players as Works of Art as one of the “Best Books We Read in 2024.”
It was the only sports book on that list.
“This book packs in a lot. Facts and biographical information mix comfortably with emotions spanning joy, anger, sadness, frustration, and even pathos,” Independent Book Review wrote. “. . . . Tennis Players as Works of Art is as rewarding as an absorbing museum exhibit, without having to leave your sofa or armchair.”
Tennis Now has not yet seen or reviewed the book.
Tennis Players as Works of Art is available on Amazon.com in hard cover ($39.99), paperpack ($23.99) or Kindle ($9.99).
For more on the art of tennis, check out TN Host Grace Carter’s report here: