David Wilde 1913 To 1974. English. Cock Fight. Acrylics. Framed. Two Fighting Birds. A Riot Of Aggression, Masculinity & Feathers. Mid Century Modern

David Wilde.
English ( b.1913 - d.1974 ).
Cock Fight.
Impasto Acrylics.
Signed & Titled.
Image size 15.4 inches x 22.2 inches ( 39cm x 56.5cm ).
Frame size 19.1 inches x 26 inches ( 48.5cm x 66cm ).

Available for sale from Big Sky Fine Art in the English county of Dorset, this original painting in impasto acrylics is by the acclaimed British artist David Wilde.
The painting is presented and supplied in a sympathetic and contrasting contemporary frame to suit the subject colouration (which is shown in these photographs).
This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age.
It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.
The painting is signed lower right and titled lower left.

A British “Northern artist”, well known for his erotic works, but now also highly collectable for his “hidden” works.
David Wilde was born in Manchester in 1913, as Norman Shacklock. It was a name that he did not like and, once successful, he adopted the pseudonym David Wilde. He took David from his good friend David White and Wilde because he thought it summed up his lifestyle.

He was an exceptional pupil and is alleged to have been admitted to the Manchester School of Art at the age of just twelve. He studied art there and later worked as a draughtsman and as a medical illustrator. He specialised in female anatomy, which he was employed to draw for surgeons at the local hospitals, and illustrated a medical textbook on birth.

During the Second World War he served as a draughtsman at the rank of Petty Officer and later became a freelance artist and designer for national companies. He worked for nine years as a senior technical artist at Carlton Press, during which time he became acquainted with Lowry and Peter Blake
During the sixties he had a reputation across Europe as a genius of erotic art. He illustrated a series of erotic books and short stories and his work was featured in Paris alongside that of Dali and Picasso; In those days the nature of his erotic work meant that his work could not be shown publically in the UK. Wilde enjoyed the high life and gained a certain notoriety in the company of celebrities and the aristocracy. He spent his time on the Continent and in London before returning to his roots in Manchester.

Wilde’s antidote to the heady world of erotic art was to paint brightly coloured, surreal landscapes of his native Manchester and his beloved Wales. This body of work, reminiscent of the Italian Futurists of the day, is completely different in nature from his erotic catalogue and was never publically exhibited during his lifetime. Wilde suffered a short illness and died in hospital in 1974. There was some intrigue about the circumstances of his death and it is said that, due to his determination to expose various secret societies there were concerns about the safety of his work and it was hidden away for safekeeping. His surreal work was thus kept from the marketplace for thirty years after his death. The author Chris Kirwan published a book entitled “David Wilde, Manchester’s Hidden Artist” which contains lots of fascinating facts about his life.

The body of work that Wilde has left includes his famous erotic art, the surreal works of Wales and Manchester and also poetry and collages of his early infatuation with Marilyn Monroe. The surreal works are now finding their way into the hands of Northern Art collectors.

© Big Sky Fine Art

This brilliant original work is in professional acrylic paint (acrylic paints produce colours that are elevated and unrivalled in richness, intensity and depth). The painting depicts two fighting cock birds, it is a riot of aggression and masculinity. The bird on the left turns sharply to find the other cock confronting him, lager and more flamboyant. There will be trouble and feathers will fly! The background is shown as a whirl of vibrant blues, whilst the birds themselves are resplendent in black, red, orange and flashes of yellow. There is a marvellous tension and energy in this image.

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Condition report:

Very Good.
This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display.

Additional dimensions information:

Image size 15.4 inches x 22.2 inches ( 39cm x 56.5cm ). Frame size 19.1 inches x 26 inches ( 48.5cm x 66cm ).