A Short Treatise on The Art of Wrestling
We believe the Wrestling Paintings by Nancy Ostrovsky
are possibly the only collection if its kind in this era,
and as such, an important testament to the sport of wrestling.
There is a unique international camaraderie in the world of
wrestling with universal values that are
transcendental. This is not my imagination. Great examples of wrestlers
that emanated this energy uniquely
are Rick Saunders (1972 Olympic Silver Medalist), Jim Peckham (1956 Olympian
and 1972 Olympic Coach)
and Dave Schultz (World and Olympic Champion). All three men had friends all
over the world. Dave could
speak Russian and was perhaps more well known in the Soviet Union, where he
was known as "the
computer, " than in the United States. Dave forged these friendships at
a time when there were no diplomatic ties and Americans were not allowed to
travel behind the "Iron Curtain." The sport of Wrestling has a way
of transcending a person's race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic background,
size and shape. Wrestling is not shallow, and it is not skin deep. What wrestlers
care about is the effort you make, how you develop your own
potential, the accomplishments you achieve in competition. Wrestlers value what
you do with what you have--your mind and your body.
I would wager any adult wrestler from the United States could venture into any
country in the world and in three phone calls have a place to work out and a
place to stay while visiting. Even countries that are currently considered at
odds politically to the USA: Iran, North Korea, Cuba. This is a time in history
when the values inherent in wrestling, passed from generation to generation,
are more important than ever.
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that at this very moment "Wrestling"
is in jeopardy.
There are many examples of this ranging from the discontinuation of men's college
wrestling programs to the elimination of weight classes in our preeminent event
- The Olympics. At the same time, we are seeing childhood obesity
reaching epidemic proportions, young adults on antidepressants, and youth violence
on a level never seen before. In the wrestling community, we have tools to forge
young people into healthy, productive adults with values. We must educate
the public and young people, through every means possible, about the depth of
"real" wrestling.
I have been fortunate to have been coached by some of the greats:
Lou Giani, (Olympian and "The Winningest High School Coach in NY History),
Jim Peckham (Olympian and Olympic Coach), and Dan Gable (Olympic Champion and
renowned Iowa and Olympic Coach). These men changed my life and the lives
of many others. They teach people to dream...and to work hard beyond what one
imagines possible to reach their dreams.
Across the country there are many great coaches who are less well
known, earn little or nothing for
their time, and having a dramatic affect on the young people they coach. As
Coach Gable
says, "America needs wrestling now more than ever." America needs
"real" wreslting on many levels. Not the least of which is to give
young people a place to use all of their energy and aggression constructively
to know
themselves, know and respect others, and to learn the humility that comes with
hard work and competence.
Most cultures throughout history have engaged in some form
of wrestling.
Artistic depictions of wrestling have historical roots that date back to 3400
BC. Well known examples
are in the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, and the vase paintings and sculpture
of Ancient Greece. It is
thought that the great philophers Aristotle, Plato and Socrates were all wrestlers
and spent much of
their time at the Palestra (Wrestling School). It is our desire to continue
the tradition of depicting
The Art of Wrestling as a way to both educate people and to celebrate our
sport.
Completed in 1992, Nancy's depiction of the the Uffizi Wrestlers was her first Wrestling Painting.
When she first did it, I gave away reproductions to my friends. However, the
wrestling community responded so strongly to this painting, we began to sell
reproductions through the Wrestling One Catalog which featured her work as cover
art for many years. This web site gives us the opportunity to show the paintings
as a group, provide information on how they came to be, and give them context
in the history of artistic depictions of wrestling.
Many wrestlers, and wrestling enthusiasts have encouraged Nancy
to keep painting our sport.
Inspired by the wrestling community and their passion for the sport, Nancy has
now done many more
paintings since the Uffizi Wrestlers. In her unique style, Nancy
has amassed a body of work that captures
various techniques, the emotional and physical intensity of the sport, and universal
values that the
wrestling community holds dearly. She has also depicted, in action portraits,
some of the greats of the
wrestling world, such as Rick Saunders, Gene Mills, Bruce Baumgartner, and others.
We hope you will help us to keep wrestling alive by enjoying
the exhibition, encouraging others to visit,
and of course purchasing reproductions.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts and will post comments if you write to us.
Sincerely,
Paul Widerman, Jan, 2004
All text on this web site
© Paul Widerman 2011
All images on this web site © Nancy Ostrovsky 2011
All Rights Reserved
Please do not download images, nor use for any purpose--promotion, catalogs,
posters
without the express permission of Nancy Ostrovsky
