{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":46249,"auction_id":94,"set_id":123,"lot_number":"312","artist":"Charlie Co (b. 1960)","title":"The Swordsman","starting_price":30000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2012 (lower left)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"36” x 24” (91 cm x 61 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"One is sure to find a plethora of symbolism in Charlie Co’s \nworks. The amount of visual metaphors that permeate \neach piece portrays Co’s socio-political awareness and \nexcellent grasp of surrealism, transforming a blank canvas into a \nwork that manages to convey a poignant and grounded critique \nof society, politics, and religion, among others.<br /><br />\nIn his 2012 The Swordsman, Comelds historical and societal \ncritique as he dressed a man – a conquistador by the looks of \nhim – with a bandit's mask. His neck is twisted at an unnatural \nangle, his intimidating armor and sword made goofy by his \nridiculous stance. Here, Co pokes fun at colonialism, pointing \nout its farcical aspect while acknowledging its harmful effect \nby depicting the colonizer in a thief’s mask. A similar critique \nis made in Watch Your Back, with two men eyeing each other \ndown as though waiting for an inevitable betrayal to come. They \nare distrustful and suspicious, throwing into question as to why \nthese men can’t seem to trust each other. Are humans inherently \nuntrustworthy or is there are system that pits men against men?<br /><br />\nCo’s works are both deeply personal and widely resonating. A \npracticing Catholic and co-founder of the progressive Black Artist \nof Asia (BAA) in the 1980s, it is only natural that these themes \nfound their way into his oeuvre. His strong simplistic usage of \ncolors and straightforward composition results in a body of \nwork that is cartoon-like in execution but cutting in its message. \n“Co is an artist with a social conscience,” says art historian \nJonathan Thompson in the book Charlie Co: Possession. “He \ndoes not preach or offer solutions. He does however suggest \none thing that makes all of this tolerable.” Whatever that one \nthing may be he leaves it up to the audience, opening an avenue \nfor introspection and conversation from artist and viewers alike. \n(Hannah Valiente)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":0,"bp":null,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":0,"userBid":5930,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"UNSOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":null,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":46023,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/94/123/lot/312.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[25000,30000,35000,40000,45000,50000,55000,60000,70000,80000,90000,100000,110000,120000,130000,140000,150000,160000,170000,180000,190000,200000,220000,240000,260000,280000,300000,320000,340000,360000,380000,400000,450000,500000,550000,600000,650000,700000,750000,800000,900000,1000000,1100000,1200000,1300000,1400000,1500000,1600000,1700000,1800000,1900000,2000000,2200000,2400000,2600000,2800000,3000000,3200000,3400000,3600000,3800000,4000000,4200000,4400000,4600000,4800000,5000000,5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":311,"next":313,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}