I can’t remember what drew me there. Maybe it was the promise of warmth. Maybe I was dragged unwillingly. Most likely I was trying to impress someone with the ounce of wisdom I’d acquired as a college freshman that crazy autumn.
Whatever the reason, during Christmas break 1967, I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition on Ben Shahn.
Shahn was still alive and much of his work dealt with progressive causes — civil rights, the Sacco and Vanzetti case, organized labor. But not surprisingly, the one I recall best concerned baseball.
National Pastime is an ink sketch of a sweep of baseball action.