To many people, card games are more than just a pastime. They are a craft; a pure work of art. Many world-renowned artists would appear to agree, since they’ve spent many days recreating moments of high drama and intensity at the felt.
Whether it’s works from classical artists or more contemporary painters, card-themed artworks are often a reflection of human emotions, since card games primarily require mental durability and speed of thought. Below, we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the most infamous paintings that’ve brought the spirit of card gaming to life on canvas.
1594 – The Cardsharps by Caravaggio
One of the most memorable poker-inspired paintings dates back to the late 16th century. Drawn by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, one of the most revered artists of the Baroque era, “The Cardsharps” is a depiction of a player’s deception in a card game. Two players are facing-off in a heads-up game. One of them is playing an honest game, while the other is operating with the aid of a nearby accomplice. This player is shown holding a card behind his back, with his partner signalling to him while pretending to watch the action unfold.
Despite the game not even existing at the time of Caravaggio’s painting, “The Cardsharps” perfectly captures the essence of a “poker face”. The second player manages to keep a stoney-faced appearance, using his unreadable expression to outwit his opponent. In the world of live poker events today, the key to success is often managing physical expressions to avoid giving off tells that suggest strength or weakness. Some card players today will choose to wear sunglasses to create a barrier between their eyes and their opponents.
Anyone interested in Caravaggio’s work should visit the Pinacoteca di Ambrosiano the next time they’re in Milan to experience one of only two known still life paintings from him, as well as a unique Raphael cartoon.
1890s – The Card Players by Paul Cezanne
In the late 19th century, Cezanne crafted a series of five drawings, showcasing the personalities of five card players engrossed in the action at the tables. The paintings are revered in the world of art due to their minimalist style, with a distinct focus on the individuals, which captures the attention of viewers from the word go.
As with Caravaggio’s “Cardsharps” drawing, Cezanne manages to achieve almost expressionless faces, as each player attempts to conceal their emotions to gain an edge over their opponents. There is more of a rustic feel to “The Card Players” though. All five players are characterized as working-class men, playing for the love of the game to escape from their everyday grind. Its use of muted colors creates a tranquil yet intense gaming environment.
1903 – Dogs Playing Poker Series by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge
In terms of playful depictions, few are more recognizable than Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker” series. This cluster of 16 paintings dates back as far as 1903, when Coolidge was originally commissioned to draw the Saint Bernards playing poker as part of an advertising campaign showcasing cigars. Consequently, these paintings have become iconic within American pop culture.
The most popular painting within the series is, “A Friend in Need”. This shows seven droopy-faced canines perched around a card table, playing a game of poker and adopting human-like expressions and stances. There’s the obligatory poker trick, with one dog depicted moving one card to a separate table. As with Caravaggio and Cezanne, Coolidge is passionate about using art to symbolize human nature in the form of a card game.
1917 – The Card Game by Jean Metzinger
Last but by no means least, Jean Metzinger’s “The Card Game” artwork was unveiled at the height of Metzinger’s popularity, an artist who helped to lead the Cubist movement. The abstract, fragmented concept looks less literally at the make-up of a poker game but focuses more on the shapes, angles, and layers which evoke the true essence of a tense card game.
By looking at the game of poker through a Cubist lens, Metzinger was able to reinforce the powerful psychological forces at play in poker instead of its emotional drama. The angular, geometric shapes and abstracted faces allude to the way in which players must think several steps ahead and peel back the layers of their opponents to conceal their true intentions.
From the dramatic to the whimsical, card games have inspired some of the most memorable works of art through the centuries. These multi-faceted paintings not only capture the tension and drama of games like poker but also broader themes of strategy and human behavior.
