Alfred Cohen: An American Artist in Europe - Between Figuration and Abstraction

Columbine is another stock character from the commedia dell'arte. She is the wife of Pierrot, and Harlequin's mistress. As in the traditional commedia, Cohen's women are usually not masked. Columbine enters the performance with panache and sexual energy. She is in control of the horse; of the men in her life perhaps; but of herself?