Cockfight 1955

Frederic Marvin made this print of fighting roosters, we don't know exactly when, but it captures an amazing sense of movement and energy. I love the way Marvin reduces the forms to these sharp, angular shapes, like he’s carving into the block with real force. It’s all about the process, you can feel the artist's hand in every line. Look at the way he uses color - a limited palette of browns, reds, and blacks - to create depth and contrast. The texture of the print is really interesting, you can almost feel the grain of the wood. There’s this area right in the center where the roosters' legs and feet are tangled together, it’s a real knot of energy that pulls you right in. This print reminds me a little of the German Expressionists, like Kirchner or Heckel, in its raw intensity and simplified forms. But Marvin brings his own unique sensibility to the subject, capturing the fierce beauty of these birds in combat. Art is always a conversation.