Fighting Cock II
Probably 1939
Morris Graves
born Fox Valley, Oregon, 1910; died Loleta, California, 2001
Graves’ symbolism is always obscure, yet it is possible to read this painting as a companion to the adjacent Cardinal, a work painted at the same time and in the same media, and on the same scale. The two are likely segments of the extended series Graves painted in 1939-40 decrying the politics of the Catholic Church in fascist Europe. In Church symbolism, the rooster is a representation of the Apostle Peter, a reference to his weak faith and hypocrisy. Here the rooster is ready for battle—it is a fighting cock, a showy, high-bred bird trained to fight to the death for its own survival.
Opaque watercolor and graphite on two fused layers of Japanese paper
16 1/4 × 12 1/8 in. (41.3 × 30.8cm)
Gift of the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2009.52.13
Provenance: Al Banner and Jack Lanser; [George Belcher, Inc., San Francisco]; sold to Marshall and Helen Hatch, Seattle, March 16, 1977
Photo: Elizabeth Mann