Beschreibung:

Robert Griffiths Hodgins (South African, 1920-2010)Three Comedians, 1990/1992
signed, dated and inscribed 'ROBERT HODGINS/ "THREE COMEDIANS"/ O/C 1990/1992/ Robert Hodgins/ No 35.' (verso)
oil on canvas
91 x 121cm (35 13/16 x 47 5/8in).
(framed)FootnotesProvenance
A private collection.
Literature
Brenda Atkinson, Robert Hodgins, Rayda Becker, Ivor Powell, Kendell Geers and Michael Godby, Robert Hodgins, (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2002), p. 103.
Operating with a satirical eye, Hodgins' work imbues a narrative that reflects the social or political or personal events of the artist's experiences. Much like his contemporary and sometimes collaborator William Kentridge, the two artists agree that it is artistic mechanics that carry the ideas and expression that initiate a work.
The present lot, comprised of a single canvas, displays three figures, characterised by their differing compositions and appearance yet seemingly unified in conversation. It could be said that this work represents Hodgins and his two long term collaborators on various projects, Deborah Bell and William Kentridge. While not certainly the case, it was around the time of the present work's completion that the trio collaborated on their second and indeed third projects; Little Morals (1991) and Easing the Passing (of the hours) (1992). With Kentridge and Bell's presence in Hodgins' output so intimate at the time, it does not seem unlikely that the artist had them in mind in this depiction. Furthermore, in an interview hosted by Brenda Atkinson in June 2001, the three artist's, the feeling of a harmonious and intellectual jousting can be felt. As Bell says in the interview, "we have fun. We love being together...we love eating, we love listening to opera... we get on." (Deborah Bell, interviewed by Brenda Atkinson, 'Conversations, Collaborations: Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, Deborah Bell', Robert Hodgins, (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2002) p. 59.) In particular the figure on the far right resembles the side profile of Hodgins, indeed, it is the artist's thoughts and feelings seemingly animate the work, giving a striking resemblance to himself, animating the work.
Noting Bell's comment on their shared love of opera and further referring to the tile of the work, Three Comedians we get a sense of Hodgin's love for performance and theatre. Clearly shown in works by the artist such as Another Night at the Opera (1998) (Bonhams, 2016) Hodgins' love of theatre may have grown during his time as a journalist in the early days of his career. Writing for News/Check in 1960, a cultural, political, and economic magazine, he regularly wrote reviews on plays and musicals. What also became present in his work was the thematic use of tragic comedy, regularly seen in his oeuvre from the 1980's was the character of Ubu Roi. Ubu assassinates the Polish king, replacing him on the thrown before a humiliating attempt to overthrow Tzar Alexis. It could be concluded that tragic comedy plays a vital role in the present work. Beyond the direct comedic reference in the title, the Romanesque nature of the central and left figures suggest a further refence to this theme.
Remembered as a great conversationalist, attributed to his popularity in artistic circles both in South Africa and the United Kingdom, his humour and extraverted nature is often reflected in his work through both colour, content and execution, the present work of which is a prime example of this. Hodgins made the point that there were "paintings about the construction and confusion of contemporary urban life, but also paintings about the pleasures of being alive, pleasures that crowd in upon the pessimism everywhere - that crowd in and refuse to be ignored" (Robert Hodgins, Goodman Gallery, 2000). Gaining his success later in his life, Hodgins' work was informed, academic, and well suited to the postmodern sense that became fashionable at the time.
Bibliography
Brenda Atkinson, Robert Hodgins, Rayda Becker, Ivor Powell, Kendell Geers and Michael Godby, Robert Hodgins, (Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2002).
Polly Savage, Making Art in Africa 1960-2010, (Surrey: Lund Humphries, 2014), pp155-157.