Cock Fight
Franck Robuste
Description
Subject Matter:
A Haitian artist, Robuste painted scenes of everyday and religious life in Haiti. Like this work, his paintings often represent lively groups of people gathered together. Here, he depicted one of the most popular sports in the country, cockfighting. Though taboo in other countries, the sport is seen as an important diversion from the often-difficult daily lives of Haitians. As in this painting, Robuste worked in a vibrantly-colored palette and in a stylized cubist manner, reminiscent of the mid-century Cuban art exhibited in Haiti at the time of the artist's youth. To get this effect, he tended toward the use of the palette knife, rather than a brush, in his application of paint.
Physical Description:
At the center of this painting, there is a group of people arranged in a trianuglar shape. The figures are all dressed in colorful clothing, some of them are holding refreshments. At the bottom of the painting are two colorful roosters fighting. The figures get smaller as they recede into the background, though there is not a realistic spacial lanscape in which they stand. The background has a light rondel emanating from behind the figures and the rest is an aqua-blue. The painting is signed (u.r.) in red paint "Franck / Robuste".
Usage Rights:
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