One of my favourite posts so far this year has been this one, on the classic American Gothic painting.
I loved doing the research, finding out about it and writing about it.
So I thought I’d take another classic painting and find out about it.
This, my friends…
…is ‘Dogs Playing Poker’.
It was one of a series of sixteen oil paintings, made by C.M. Coolidge in 1908, on commission by Brown & Bigelow, to advertise their cigars.
And Dogs Playing Poker has been reproduced in every imaginable incarnation ever since:
He he he, I love the ones where it’s cheating dogs playing poker. Classic.The more modern ones are also a little crazy:
And some, like this one, are even quite realistic looking:
He, he he, some people have a lot of time on their hands. Not to mention, a lot of dogs.
This version appeared in an episode of The Simpsons:
In fact, it’s been such a popular series, it’s even sprung a series of hysterical offshoots.
Like Gods Playing Poker:
Love the addition
of Elvis as a God in that one.
of Elvis as a God in that one.
I wouldn’t want to play poker with a bunch of Gods, there’d just be no chance of winning at all, and if by some fluke you did beat one, it would be a punishment of a brutal death by lightning bolt, for sure.
And another favourite off shoot of Dogs Playing Poker – there’s ‘Serial Killers from Movies Playing Poker’:
Which is by Ray Frendon and is available here.
Someone has even tried Cats Playing Poker:
But cats are so aloof, you wouldn’t want to play poker with them.
So after all this research, I thought I’d leave you with one quick piece of advice:
If you ever find yourself playing poker with a bunch of dogs, watch your back. Cos you know what they say – you should never trust anyone who can lick their own balls.
“God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of the players, (ie everybody), to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won’t tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
Terry Pratchett
Black canvas … poker with god(s).
hehe
peace
Wahahahahahaha! super – i dont think my dog could poker face, he is faaar too beautiful / dof for that 🙂
How about squirrels?
From c.1870 by fantastic Victorian taxidermist Walter Potter:
http://bit.ly/aLTb7H
http://bit.ly/PN7kZ
Shit Matt, that’s just incredible, thank you for posting that. It’s fascinating and warrants a whole post of it’s own, I’ll do that when get home.
Hey tried to call you on both numbers, no luck, have run out of credits but will try again on Monday. Xxx
hilarious!