Only twice before has Dick Perez paid tribute to Ron Santo—once for the classic Perez-Steele HOF Postcard series, and once for Dick's popular Immortals luxury book. Both preceding artworks were much smaller in size and depicted Santo fielding, whereas this monumental beauty captures the Cub icon at the plate for a powerful home-run swing. The pinstriped threads and brick wall immediately signal the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. And the presence of Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons (a perennial All Star in his own right) pinpoints the time frame to 1968-1973. In addition to Perez's signature impressionistic style, it's also important to note his deft use of chiaroscuro to put the limelight directly on Santo, as well as his carefully crafted compositional balance in the diagonal alignment of the three subject figures.

      In the Words of Dick Perez: Throughout baseball history, Cubs fans have been graced with a grand share of folk heroes. Among many are Banks, Three-Finger Brown, Hartnett, Cuyler, Hack Wilson, Tinker, Evers and Chance...and, of course, the much-beloved Ron Santo. It seems to me that Santo played a greater role not only in the Chicago baseball tradition, but in all of baseball’s lore. His long battle with diabetes, the adoration of Cub fans, the longstanding chatter about his being denied HOF induction while he was alive, staying active in Chicago baseball until his death, and his charitable deeds for diabetes research are all part of that lore. Santo had more RBIs than Clemente, Jeter, Greenberg, Alomar, Rose and a bunch of other HOFers. He had more hits than the likes of Dimaggio and McCovey. Among Cooperstown's third basemen, he ranks 3rd in HRs and had a higher career batting average than Brooks Robinson and Eddie Mathews. And he was also an excellent defensive fielder earning five consecutive Gold Glove Awards. I have always kept a large empty canvas for painting Ron Santo as one of baseball’s immortals. I am glad I finally got to use it.

      Bio: Dick Perez is the preeminent living baseball artist—and arguably the greatest the sport has ever known. For over 40 years, Perez has paid homage to the game’s pantheon through monumental projects such as his Perez-Steele Art Cards, Donruss Diamond Kings, Immortals luxury book, and Charles Conlon Collection. Throughout that time, he has also held the distinguished position of Official Artist for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baseball Hall of Fame, Donruss and Topps. Perez’s Impressionist-style portraits are housed in the prestigious collections of museums, major-league franchises, corporations, and private art collectors including Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.

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