Albert Gold, Fight Crowd

Like his contemporaries George Bellows and Robert Riggs, Albert Gold depicted the seamy world of prizefights. Here the artist depicts the dissolute and ghoulish faces of seven audience members, who stare in rapt attention. A cigarette dangles from the mouth of the man on the right. A spectator in the back thoughtfully touches his chin, while the man in the foreground leans forward in concentration and two bystanders on the right open their mouths in satisfaction. Gold has rendered the entire composition in black, except for the white faces of the spectators. As a result, they appear masklike and grotesque. By observing the faces of the spectators, the viewer can guess at the violence in the ring.