BISHOPS

Davis W. Morton / 1996 / oil on canvas / 33 X 36 inches

     Throughout the year, regardless of the weather, chess players from every walk of life play their game on Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.  In my chess paintings, I use the game to represent what it already represents, the game of living.

     In chess there is a harmony of power where the function of each piece makes up for qualities that other pieces lack.  Although their roles are very different, Knights and Bishops are considered to be of equal value in the attack.  As a loose analogy, if the pawns are soldiers, the Knights are like commandoes who can jump into tighter places beyond the reach of other pieces. But when there is a need to be less direct and to come in from an angle the Bishops, as the diplomats, can be just as treacherous.

     In this painting I don’t know if chess is representing life or if the order has been reversed. Like Bishops in the flesh, two young lawyers are practicing their trade on their day off.

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