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

Cohen often uses 'Polichinelle', the French version of the name for Punch, instead of the Italian 'Pulcinella'. This uncanny partial mask leaves Punch's characteristic chin visible, but the combination of face and mask makes the expression deeply ambiguous. Are his arms open in an excited friendly greeting? Or are they raised in a shrug of anguished despair? This painting provided the cover image for the book accompanying Cohen's 1963 Commedia dell'Arte exhibition at the Brook Street Gallery, London.