Pig

A pig sectioned with broken lines in the right places, Llyn Foulkes’ Pig seems to come straight from the walls of a butcher’s shop as the illustration of the animal’s various cuts. But the traditional drawing is replaced by a particularly realistic pig, with protruding muscles and velvety skin, which presents to the viewer the reality of consuming pig meat.

The astonishing realism of Pig is explained by the “rag” painting technique, which Foulkes developed very early in his career: by using a piece of fabric to lift the paint, the artist works to obtain an effect that resembles worn jeans or flesh. On the lower right, the wording “This painting is dedicated to the Americans” ironically points at the greed of certain aspects of American culture.

Painted in 1963, Pig is an incisive testament to the beginnings of Llyn Foulkes on the artistic scene. Part of the Pinault Collection, it was first shown at the 2013 “Prima Materia” (“Raw Material”) exhibition at the Punta della Dogana.