Expressionist Painting Cocks Fighting a Dynamic Mid-Century Oil by b.k. Gallie, After Leon Kossoff

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Description

“Cocks Fighting” — A Dynamic Mid-Century Expressionist Oil by B.K. Gallie, After Leon Kossoff
British School, circa 1965 | Heavy … Read more “Cocks Fighting” — A Dynamic Mid-Century Expressionist Oil by B.K. Gallie, After Leon Kossoff
British School, circa 1965 | Heavy Impasto on Board
Overview
A powerful and evocative mid-20th-century Expressionist oil painting on board titled Cocks Fighting, attributed to B.K. Gallie of Gloucestershire (c.1965).
This arresting composition captures two roosters in a burst of colour and motion—an age-old symbol of rivalry and vitality—rendered in dense impasto and sweeping palette-knife strokes. Gallie’s vigorous handling of paint and sculptural surface align closely with the British post-war Expressionist movement and the School of London, recalling the emotional immediacy of Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach.
Artistic Context
Gallie’s approach is one of pure energy and sensation. Rather than pursuing anatomical precision, the artist prioritises gesture, texture, and emotional charge.
Material and form: Paint is treated as matter—built, carved, and modelled in relief. The roosters emerge through forceful strokes that catch and scatter light across the surface.
Palette and tone: A restrained field of greys and ochres sets the stage for flashes of crimson and gold, evoking the tension and dynamism of the fight.
Mood and movement: The brushwork is urgent, almost violent, conveying the struggle between instinct and control.
The work embodies the physicality and intensity characteristic of the post-war British Expressionists—an era that sought to translate lived experience into tactile, emotional form.
Influence of Leon Kossoff (1926–2019)
Leon Kossoff was one of Britain’s most influential post-war painters and a leading figure of the School of London, alongside Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Frank Auerbach.
Kossoff’s paintings, renowned for their density of surface and emotional resonance, explored the tension between perception and feeling. His influence is clearly felt here in Gallie’s tactile impasto and charged rhythm, where subject and medium become inseparable.
Kossoff’s work is held in major collections worldwide, including Tate Britain, MoMA, and LACMA.
Signature and Identification
The painting is unsigned but bears the artist’s original printed address label verso:
“B.K. Gallie, Honeysuckle Cottage, Uley, Dursley, Glos.”
This confirms direct authorship and provenance, and includes the original pre-decimal price (£8 8s), placing it firmly in the early to mid-1960s.
Framing
Presented in a contemporary Larson Juhl gilt moulded frame with museum-quality AR70 glass, carefully selected to complement the work’s expressive surface and mid-century aesthetic.
Framed Dimensions:
Height: 58.5 cm
Width: 68 cm
Depth: 2.5 cm
Provenance
Artist’s own label verso, Gloucestershire
Painted on Dalex Board for Oils, manufactured by Daler Mountboards, Dorset
Acquired through a reputable art dealer in the Eastern Shires
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd, specialists in modern British and provincial art
Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, in a survey of post-war British Expressionism
Subsequently held in a private Gloucestershire collection
The work’s documented provenance reinforces both its authenticity and its significance within mid-century British Expressionism.
Highlights
Exceptional impasto technique and expressive force
Strong connection to the School of London and Kossoff’s painterly language
Provenance linking the artist, region, and institutional exhibition
A striking, conversation-worthy centrepiece for any modern or mid-century collection
Artwork Details
Artist: B.K. Gallie
Title: Cocks Fighting
Date: Circa 1965
Medium: Oil on artist board (Dalex Board for Oils, England)
Style: Expressionist / Post-War British School
Board Size: Approx. 24 × 20 inches
Frame Size: Approx. 27 × 23 inches (58.5 × 68 cm)
Depth: 2.5 cm
Signature: Artist’s printed label verso
Provenance: As detailed above
Condition
Very good vintage condition overall. The paint surface is stable and richly textured, with only minor age-related wear consistent with its period. The frame is in excellent presentation condition, with minor, unobtrusive marks.
Shipping & Acquisition
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