About Gambling Artwork

I know of no other manner of dealing with great tasks than as play:
this, as a sign of greatness, is an essential prerequisite.
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Ecce homo: how one becomes what one is

What prompted me to work on “Gambling art”?  I was curious about passion and gambling, and how those two things could mix together.

Gambling as passion is portrayed in such literary masterpieces as "The Gambler", by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and "The Queen of Spades", by Alexander Pushkin.  These two novels prompted my interest in games of chance long before my “gaming” research at the University of Humanities and Social Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The subject of my research was a casino as a modern entertainment center – which was a new concept for Russia just after the Perestroika.  My field research was conducted in the newly opened casinos and nightclubs in St. Petersburg, I interviewed casino management, events producers, and visitors.  I was focused on the various aspects of the games of chance - historical, economical, and psychological. 

Talking to people was the best way to discover how they experience that subject of gambling.  Later I painted my experiences.  In my work I am portraying the complexity of the feeling of "temptation" or uncertainty of "illusion" etc., and I wanted - you - the viewer to feel the "rush" when looking at my artwork.

The Jokers in my work are not costumed performers -- they symbolize human desires and motivations.  As jokers, they have a habit of creating interruptions and distractions.  My Joker is like the Mephistopheles character in Goethe's "Faust," though perhaps not so sinister.  He is part tempter, part illusionist.  He is the person you want to see him as, and he takes advantage of your dreams to work his own will.  People see in him many faces depending on their desires.

Some Facts:

Card gamescame to Russia from Germany at the beginning of 17th century and spread widely. However, playing high stakes games was not new in Russian history. For example, in 1584, Ivan the Terrible, being near death, played chess with Boris Godunov betting the entire content of the regal treasury.

By the end of the 19th Century, card games became an important part of recreation of the Russian higher society. Books on social etiquette included chapters on how to behave during card games. Knowing how to play certain card games became an important part in social education of young men and women. Every respectable house was expected to have rooms for gaming.

This is how the famous lover Casanova described the atmosphere of a game in one of the St. Petersburg houses: "Everything was in French manner: food and drinks were fabulous, lively conversation, and the game was even better. High Society in attendance consisted of honest people who would lose without regret and win without boasting."

Law created by Katherine the Great regarding gaming. In 1766 Katherine The Great created a new law regarding gaming. The law stated that all card debts should be forbidden and that a son financially dependant on his father shouldn't be trusted. This law affected the mentality of Russian players for centuries.

The society reacted to this law with a "code of honor" that prescribed gamblers to pay card debts on time. By the end of the 19th century society people were joking that - many people knew rules, laws, and etiquette related to card games better than civil law. Gamblers religiously followed the "code of honor" rules because to break those rules often meant to loose integrity.

Gamblers could be very irrational in pursuit of the winnings. They are often looking for "signs" which they believe will bring them luck in gambling. Searching historical archives I came across a humorous 18-century story which well describes this phenomenon:

As I was walking one night to a social club to play cards a bird pooped on my shoulder and ruined my coat. I arrived at the club very upset by this event. However, I attended the game and won big that night. I became convinced that the bird brought me luck. Since then - every time I was on my way to the club to play cards - I would walk through the same alley waiting for a bird to fly over my shoulder and repeat the incident.

Game of chance is a confrontation with fate. A gambler is often influenced not by the monetary winnings but by the desire for risk–taking and adventure. What is important to a gambler is the process of a game. Gambler enjoys the atmosphere of instantaneous ups and downs.

During a game a player may experience the complex psychological phenomenon - ardor - where the main role belongs to the emotional processes. When making a bet a person might feel as if he/she is on the "edge," and the time of a game is experienced in a slow motion - as if one minute lasts for years. A person who is not predisposed to this type of game might play once or twice and will abandon such activity.

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Thoughts on a world of chance from David G. Schwartz http://www.dieiscast.com
Gambling Studies Research Center http://gaming.unlv.edu/gallery/

Magical Resource site www.Magic4Us.com

Close-up Card Magic http://www.djandmagic.com

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Artwork copyright Olea Nova 2001-2008. All rights reserved.