Images(4)

Portrait of L.C. Greenwood

Object number2017.65.11

Artist Dennis Karchner

Date2010

MediumOil paint; Masonite; Wood; Foamcore; Metal; Nylon(?)

Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.

DescriptionFramed oil painting on Masonite. Rectangular painting depicts male football player seated on a wooden bench in full-length three-quarter view with body facing slightly proper right and head in three-quarter view facing slightly proper left. Figure wears Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, has white towel draped over head, and has arms and legs crossed; red blood on hand wraps and pant knee. . Football helmet rests on bench to the figure’s proper right. Background is light brown and resembles dry grass. Painted brown wooden frame with brushed gold bead trim around opening.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (Framed): 23.938 × 19.938 × 1.25 in. (60.8 × 50.6 × 3.2 cm)
Height x Width (Sight size): 19.625 × 15.625 in. (49.8 × 39.7 cm)
SignedArtist signature painted in brown in bottom left corner “© KARCHNER - 2010”.
InscriptionsPlayer has black “68” on chest and on proper left shoulder and has black “8” on proper right shoulder.

Player’s helmet has white “68” on front.
Historical NotesMore than 30 years ago, Art Rooney, Jr. and his wife Kay visited the Circle Art Gallery in San Diego, California. By the time they left, a new passion had been born. Unable to buy a seascape that had sold while they shopped, Rooney purchased a portrait instead. Painted by Merv Corning, the work featured Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Isaac Curtis, a player Rooney admired. Over the next several years Rooney returned to the gallery while in San Diego on scouting trips or at Steelers’ games and bought more of Corning’s art. Eventually Corning called him, beginning a friendship and artistic partnership that lasted until the artist passed away in 2006. Rooney gradually transitioned from a buyer of art, to commissioning specific pieces. He began to collect what he knew and loved – paintings that depicted members of the great Steelers’ teams of the 1970s. Rooney had scouted many of these players and had come to know and respect them as athletes, but also as men. Over time Art Rooney’s collection has broadened to include pieces by two other artists and to represent his life, his work, and the special relationships he developed through football. Originally from Clearfield, Pa., Dennis Karchner began drawing as a young child. He studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After years working in the screen-printing business, he returned to his first love, drawing and painting. Based in Cody, Wyoming, Karchner is known for his Western art, images of native peoples, cowboys, and even current outdoorsmen, such as the Steelers’ Brett Keisel. His pencil and oil renderings are rich in detail and use the raw, natural landscape of the West as a background. After seeing a portrait Karchner painted of broadcaster Curt Gowdy, Art Rooney Jr. contacted him. The two have worked together for the past six years to capture “the warriors” of the gridiron in paint. This painting features Art Rooney, Sr.’s brother Dan – The Chief’s baseball teammate, lifelong friend, and religious counselor.Label TextThe same year the Steelers drafted Greene, they also picked up the second of the four men who would become known as the “Steel Curtain.” Tall and quick, L. C. Greenwood could run down opposing players and play pressure defense, and would lead the Steelers six years in sacks. Chuck Noll who believed Greenwood would be “something special” was not disappointed, Greenwood proved a ferocious defender and a spirited player, known best for his signature gold-colored shoes.

Collector Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr.

Related institution Pittsburgh Steelers

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