Three-Card Monte

The narrative of this composition is a gambling game known as Three-Card Monte. For those unfamiliar with it, Three-Card Monte is a scam, a variation of the shell game, designed to fleece its victim. Three cards are shuffled, two alike and one different, and the player bets money on identifying the unique card. In reality, the outcome is predetermined. The player never wins and money is lost.

The game is often played in public parks on a makeshift table, frequently a large cardboard box. The operator works with an accomplice appears to win repeatedly, enticing bystanders to try their luck. A lookout watches for approaching police, allowing the group to pack up and disappear quickly.

On an abstract level the arc formed by the three primary colors - the yellow, red, and blue hats - frames the composition and contrasts with the cool blues and greens that flow from the victim, through the cards, and ultimately to the young woman on the right. This movement of color reinforces both the visual structure of the painting and the narrative tension at its center.

The hands play a critical role in the painting's visual and narrative structure, guiding the viewer's eye through the composition and echoing the misdirection at the heart of Three-Card Monte.

Here are some of the drawings related to this painting: