The Triple Gates of Hell

The Triple Gates of Hell was at the time Hodgins’s largest work, matched only in the late 1990s by another triptych, Night of the Awards. In his typically satirical vein, Hodgins depicts an ambiguous tableau of evil, using his most characteristic targets: Ubu-esque business moguls and military figures.

Hodgins is renowned as one of the country’s most skillful COLOURISTS in oil paint, and this is clearly seen here in his use of brilliant greens and blues. His ability to comment on the political aspects of the human condition through his remarkable colour palette makes this an especially significant work in his oeuvre. 

Artwork courtesy of Johannesburg Art Gallery.