The relationship between roulette and the art world runs much deeper than one might think.
Todays advanced technology makes it possible to play roulette on top gambling platforms, such as
Bovada Roulette, directly on one's mobile device yet, it does not account for the incredible number of testimonials that have come down through history to us.
In this article, we will move away from the perception of gambling as a mere form of digital entertainment, embracing it as a source of artistic inspiration :
What is so attractive about creating paintings about gambling?
Have you ever wondered what makes gambling so attractive as a subject for artists?
Beyond the various painting styles and ideas that have influenced the art world in different eras, the primary purpose of art is to capture the essence of the human being - the deepest desires, feelings, and emotions that characterize ordinary people.
Of course, it is possible to approach this goal from different perspectives, such as depicting historical events, mythical and biblical plots, or everyday life situations.
However, all these perspectives have one thing in common: the artist constantly represents an emotion. And this is the main reason why one of the artist's most fascinating subjects is gambling, as it evokes a rich and wide range of emotions in people, from the greatest despair to pure euphoria.
For some, playing roulette is not enough, and this legendary game has stimulated the imagination of many artists to immortalize the game of roulette in their work to create one-of-a-kind pieces.
Many works and engravings created during the nineteenth century immortalized precisely the roulette wheels, with all the various players present around the different tables. Note how, in those depictions, croupiers used to use particularly long ladles for collecting the multiple amounts wagered and for the subsequent distribution of the winnings.
Some wonderful paintings
Among the paintings that have achieved the greatest fame is the one entitled "At the Monte Carlo Roulette Table,"
created by Edvard Munch. This is a marvelous oil painting in a typical expressionist style, made in the late 19th century.
This is a truly marvelous work, which was intended to frame the great fascination with money and the game of roulette in the last years of the nineteenth century. The painting shows a group of decidedly elegant men discussing around a green table, where the figure of the traditional roulette wheel stands out. Almost 100 years later, that painting still communicates reality.
The works of Marcel Duchamp
In 1924, the full extent of Duchamp's talent emerged: an artist whose strength lay in his innate ability to shock. As a demonstration of his genius, he produced a marvelous work called "Monte Carlo Bond," or "Obligations pour la roulette de Monte Carlo."
Duchamp created a roulette system linked to the laws of chance and, simultaneously, bonds to fascinate as many investors as possible. Each relationship is idealized in a collage of pictures of its own.
The color intensity of the Green Table painting
In case you have an unbridled passion and disparate colors, then without a shadow of a doubt, you will also admire
the wonderful painting called "Green Table." This work was born from the genius of LeRoy Neiman, an American-born artist who well this excellent insight in 1974.
In this work, the roulette wheel represents the point on which to focus one's attention; energy and activity are the two dominant aspects of a painting. It is a work meant to immortalize a game of roulette, seen as a real drama, in which the protagonists are the people who tend to crowd around the wheel and follow its movement in a highly intense and involved way.
The allure of the Chinese avant-garde
Roulette's remarkable ability to be attractive has spread all over the planet. Moving to China, a well-known artist is part of the Chinese-French avant-garde. We are referring to Huang Yong Ping, who became famous for creating works of art that punctually ended up at the center of criticism and discussion.
Huang Yong Ping used to exploit the roulette wheel in his typically provocative art. Going down a bit more specifically, he was particularly attached to the concept of luck and chance connected to roulette, making three different works from 1985 until 1988.
Conclusion
At this point, it is easy to understand how ancient the subject of gaming is and that it began to be part of human interests centuries ago. How can we forget the famous phrase uttered by Julius Caesar, "Alea iacta est," "the die is cast," or the quote from the well-known Greek philosopher Plato: "You can find out more about a person in an hour of play, than in a year of conversation.
Finally, even though today, thanks to the Internet, the modes of gaming and games have changed compared to past centuries, and this issue is no longer so highly regarded in the arts, we can still enjoy gambling.