Strauss & co - Wits Art Museum

WITS ARTS MUSEUM ENDOWMENT AUCTION 19 9 Robert Hodgins (1920–2010) Three figures and a crowd Oil on canvas 92,3 x 202,2 cm 2006/7 Donated by the artist, prior to his death. He instructed that funds from sale of this work were to be used for the advancement of the museum. R800 000 – 1 200 000 Robert Hodgins is one of South Africa’s most iconic artists. He taught at Wits for many years before devoting himself to full-time art practice. His expressionistic graphic style and sense of humour impart a satirical edge to his interest in historical events, political figures and malevolent businessmen. Even its title, Three figures and a crowd, hints at a subversive commentary on class separation and dominant hierarchies. Three figures features both Hodgins’ iconic use of pinstriped suits as well as a juxtaposition of a bold colour palette against soft and washy applications of paint. The painting shows two stoic and pinstriped figures that stand, like monoliths, at the edges of the composition. The sky, which begins as an idyllic cerulean expanse, becomes threatening as it darkens into a menacing cloud of blue-black. In the distance, a blur of crowd is assembled under a splashing of red, a further suggestion of rising tension.  PPS