{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":1722,"auction_id":3,"set_id":4,"lot_number":"36","artist":"Charlie Co (b. 1960)","title":"The Crusader's Horse","starting_price":120000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2006 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"60\" x 24\" (152 cm x 61 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist\nconfirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"The image of the horse is a recurring element in the allegorical and provocative works of Charlie Co. In this piece titled The Crusader’s Horse, Co evokes the image of the “red horse” of the second horsemen in the Book of Revelation. A passage in the biblical text writes: “When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.” (Revelation 6: 3-4, New American Bible Revised Edition).
Co also evokes the bloody legacy of the medieval Crusades, the series of military expeditions sanctioned by the Pope to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. Although deemed “religious” in nature by its supporters, the crusaders committed acts of barbarity and savagery toward fellow Christians (those adhering to the Orthodox faith) and non-Christians, such as Jews and Muslims. Among the most notorious is the massacre of numerous Jews and Muslims in the Siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade.
In contemporary history, the phrase Deus Vult (‘God Wills It!’), chanted by the crusaders of the First Crusade, was the cry of the 2017 white supremacist marches in the western hemisphere, all the while carrying flags bearing the crusader cross. After all, the medieval crusades have been used in propaganda attempting to justify bigotry and prejudice toward people deemed inferior.
By combining the biblical image of the red horse and the brutal history associated with the medieval crusaders, Co presents a compelling and relevant work that poignantly evokes the harrowing effects of despicable wars on modern-day society, which are often imperialistic and tyrannical in nature. With its fiery eyes emphasizing its aggressiveness and rage, the red horse represents war, violence, and bloodshed. The work’s background depicts blazing flames, symbolizing inferno—the unbearable pain of those forced into the seemingly eternal damnation and brutal destruction of war and oppression. The most destructive wars in today’s world are not waged by the oppressed to reclaim their humanity; the majority are done by the imperial powers to reinforce their hegemony and influence over the world. (A.M.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Charlie Co (b. 1960) The Crusader's Horse signed and dated 2006 (lower right) oil on canvas 60\" x 24\" (152 cm x 61 cm)