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Famous Paintings Featuring Gambling Throughout History

Famous Paintings Featuring Gambling Throughout History

Did you ever think that gambling could have a connection with art? Well, they do have a ‘symbolic’ relationship and this can be explained through the various artworks of some of the most eminent artists who portrayed gambling through their fine artwork. A few of these paintings featuring gambling gained much recognition in the field of art and creativity and were auctioned as expensive pieces of gambling art.

A Glimpse of Paintings Featuring Gambling in the 15th Century

Much before the online casinos came into existence, gambling was widely prevalent across cultures in myriad forms. In ancient times, it is believed that the concept of playing cards originated in China from where it spread like fire from the dragon’s mouth to other countries around the world. History has it, that gamblers bet on horses, played dice games and a variety of card games in which they staked real money. At one stage gambling was only accessible by a class who could afford it after which it gradually became a regular sport among the middle class where men gambled frequently.

Gambling has witnessed the highs and lows of being treated as legal and illegal through time. From accessibility across pubs and bars to being hosted at state-of-the-art legal casino establishments and now soaring on the internet platform, gambling is not to die soon. What is rather not so popularly known about gambling is that it has inspired magnificent works of art through history.

Artists sketched and painted pictures that depict people playing cards in formal and non-formal settings. Paintings speak a million stories and here are some of the remarkable works worth mentioning.

The Cardsharps

Created by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, this is among the unique paintings featuring gambling and was painted in the sixteenth century. The work illustrates a couple of boys sitting down to play cards. One of the boys has been projected to have extra cards drawn. The picture also has an older man’s portrait who is gazing over the other player’s back indicating to a gambler who seems like his acquaintance.

Jan Steen’s ‘Argument Over a Card Game’ is a stunning piece of paintings featuring gambling. This one is an iconic creation from the Dutch Golden Age and infuses the art of gambling. The classic card game is dramatically portrayed in this painting like his other famous works that seamlessly blended everyday chaos of the common man’s living with the beauty of art.

“The Cheat With the Ace of Clubs”

A masterpiece painted by none other than the famous Georges de La Tour, “the cheat with the ace of clubs” was created between 1626 and 1629. This depicts two women in a game of cards with a gentleman. The man’s painting narrates the story of how he actually succeeds in distracting the ladies to cheat as he produces a couple of As hidden in his belt. The female’s portrait also communicates their suspicion over the man’s ill-doing. It’s like a walking talking painting and was later repainted in 1635 where some modifications were done. The refurbished painting was titled as The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds.

“The Card Players”

“The Card Players” was painted by none other than the French artist Paul Cézanne in the 1890s. His painting appears in a series of 5 creations and epitomises the beauty of oil colours splattered on the canvas. The painting displays card players who appeared to hail from a peasantry background, smoking and drinking as they played their hands.

Another set of paintings featuring gambling that made headlines was the ‘Dogs Playing Poker’ by the notable painter Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. Applauded by people across genres, this series painted in oil colours was created around mid-1900 and 1910 and was commissioned to be used as an advert for marketing cigars. The painting depicts humans embodied as dogs intensely involved in poker. You might find these paintings across the United States of America as many chose to use it for home décor.

Paintings featuring gambling such as the ‘Soldiers Playing Cards’ by Fernand Leger was created in the year 1917, in the aftermath of the battle of Verdun and received much acclamation worldwide. Leger was a prominent personnel of Cubism and his work of art displayed his enthusiasm around mechanization of the First World War. The painting that continues to enthral even today, beautifully captured and balanced the nuances of machines used in the war with Cubism.

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Post Name : Famous Paintings Featuring Gambling Throughout History

Posted On : 14/06/2019

Author : Cameron Riddell