All or Nothing

Provenance

Mark Willcox, Johannesburg, Private Collection.

Notes

John Meyer is known for the cinematic realism that draws the viewer into the fictional scenes he constructs. The present lot is part of Meyer’s single-narrative series and stages a poker game, which the artist has explored in several other works.

A tense mood is palpable in this low-lit scene. One figure’s expression bears the weight of defeat, and the men he turns away from assume postures of calculated consideration, as they study the cards they are dealt and manage the risks of the game.

Taking a closer look, one notices the loose and hazy quality of Meyer’s brushstrokes. However, All or Nothing shows how the artist’s expansive settings are always in sharp focus and bathed in dazzling lighting that enlivens the unfolding narratives. With Meyer’s mastery of these technical elements in mind, the present lot subtly illuminates the dynamics of masculinity, power and wealth often at play around the card table.