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Description
Expressionist British School | Heavy Impasto | After Leon Kossoff 🎨 Cocks Fighting — Original Oil Painting by B.K. Gallie (c. 1965)
🖌️ Subject & Medium
A striking C1965 mid-20th-century Expressionist ornithology oil painting on board titled “Cocks Fighting”, labelled verso by B.K. Gallie of Gloucestershire.
Two roosters clash in a burst of motion and colour — a timeless symbol of vitality, strength, and rivalry. Executed in thick, sculptural layers of oil on artist’s board (Dalex Board for Oils, England), the surface is richly textured with palette-knife gestures and sweeping, confident strokes.
The painting’s raw physicality and emotional force align it with the British Expressionist movement and the post-war School of London, recalling the work of Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach.
🎨 Composition & Technique
Heavy impasto / sculptural paint surface: Gallie, like Kossoff, treats paint as a substance to model and carve. The plumage and energy of the birds are built from dense, tactile strokes — a sculptural surface that catches light and shadow.
Expressive gesture over realism: Form yields to emotion. Each line and sweep conveys urgency and tension rather than anatomical precision — pure vitality on the edge of abstraction.
Limited palette, energetic neutrals: A cool grey ground contrasts with the fierce reds and yellows of the combs, heightening the dramatic struggle.
Dynamic, almost violent energy: The brushwork mirrors the subject itself — tense, alive, and combative — echoing Kossoff’s muscular, convulsive rhythm.
🧑🎨 About Leon Kossoff (1926–2019)
Leon Kossoff was one of Britain’s foremost post-war painters and a key figure in the School of London, alongside Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Frank Auerbach.
Renowned for his thick impasto and emotional immediacy, Kossoff’s art explores the struggle between perception and feeling. His heavily worked surfaces give form to the pulse of lived experience — an approach that clearly informs Gallie’s handling in “Cocks Fighting.”
Kossoff’s works are held by major institutions worldwide, including the Tate, MoMA, and LACMA, and continue to inspire generations of painters with their expressive power and physical intensity.
✍️ Unsigned
Verso is the printed artist’s own address label reading:
B.K. Gallie, Honeysuckle Cottage, Uley, Dursley, Glos.
This includes the artist’s full name and address in Gloucestershire, confirming direct authorship and adding to the painting’s provenance integrity.
🖼️ Framed
Presented in a recently fitted Larson Julh gilt moulded frame, with museum quality protective AR70 glass cover which complements the work’s mid-century character.
📏 Framed Dimensions:
58.5 cm (Height) × 68 cm (Width)
Depth: 2.5 cm
🪶 Provenance
Artist’s own address label verso, reading “B.K. Gallie, Honeysuckle Cottage, Uley, Dursley, Glos.” (Glos. meaning Gloucestershire).
Painted on Daler artist board manufactured by Daler Mountboards, Wareham, Dorset — a respected British maker of professional painting supports.
Acquired from a reputable art dealer in the Eastern Shires.
Subsequently curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd, specialists in British modernist and provincial works.
Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, featured in a survey of post-war British expressionism.
Later held in a private Gloucestershire collection.
This strong and traceable provenance links the work directly to the artist, the material manufacturer, regional art dealers, and museum exhibition history — reinforcing both authenticity and significance.
💖 Why You’ll Love It
✅ Expressive energy: Every inch of the surface pulses with motion and colour.
✅ Textural depth: Thick, tactile paintwork that shifts beautifully under changing light.
✅ Art-historical resonance: Evokes the dynamic style of Leon Kossoff and the School of London.
✅ Conversation piece: A commanding focal point for any interior or gallery wall.
This is a painting that rewards close viewing — visceral, poetic, and true to the spirit of post-war expressionism.
🧾 Condition
Good vintage condition overall. Paint layers are stable and the surface presents beautifully, with only minor age-related wear & some craquelure consistent with a work of this period. The frame has small, unobtrusive scuffs but remains solid and display-ready.
Please review all photographs for an accurate visual reference.
🛒 Click Buy It Now to make it yours before its gone!
Add this ornithology fighting masterpiece to your art collection today.
🔎 Explore Our ebay shop gallery Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD to discover more hand-picked treasures
💬 Questions? We’re here to help!
Please feel free to send us a message with any enquiries about this piece.
🖌️ Subject & Medium
A striking C1965 mid-20th-century Expressionist ornithology oil painting on board titled “Cocks Fighting”, labelled verso by B.K. Gallie of Gloucestershire.
Two roosters clash in a burst of motion and colour — a timeless symbol of vitality, strength, and rivalry. Executed in thick, sculptural layers of oil on artist’s board (Dalex Board for Oils, England), the surface is richly textured with palette-knife gestures and sweeping, confident strokes.
The painting’s raw physicality and emotional force align it with the British Expressionist movement and the post-war School of London, recalling the work of Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach.
🎨 Composition & Technique
Heavy impasto / sculptural paint surface: Gallie, like Kossoff, treats paint as a substance to model and carve. The plumage and energy of the birds are built from dense, tactile strokes — a sculptural surface that catches light and shadow.
Expressive gesture over realism: Form yields to emotion. Each line and sweep conveys urgency and tension rather than anatomical precision — pure vitality on the edge of abstraction.
Limited palette, energetic neutrals: A cool grey ground contrasts with the fierce reds and yellows of the combs, heightening the dramatic struggle.
Dynamic, almost violent energy: The brushwork mirrors the subject itself — tense, alive, and combative — echoing Kossoff’s muscular, convulsive rhythm.
🧑🎨 About Leon Kossoff (1926–2019)
Leon Kossoff was one of Britain’s foremost post-war painters and a key figure in the School of London, alongside Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Frank Auerbach.
Renowned for his thick impasto and emotional immediacy, Kossoff’s art explores the struggle between perception and feeling. His heavily worked surfaces give form to the pulse of lived experience — an approach that clearly informs Gallie’s handling in “Cocks Fighting.”
Kossoff’s works are held by major institutions worldwide, including the Tate, MoMA, and LACMA, and continue to inspire generations of painters with their expressive power and physical intensity.
✍️ Unsigned
Verso is the printed artist’s own address label reading:
B.K. Gallie, Honeysuckle Cottage, Uley, Dursley, Glos.
This includes the artist’s full name and address in Gloucestershire, confirming direct authorship and adding to the painting’s provenance integrity.
🖼️ Framed
Presented in a recently fitted Larson Julh gilt moulded frame, with museum quality protective AR70 glass cover which complements the work’s mid-century character.
📏 Framed Dimensions:
58.5 cm (Height) × 68 cm (Width)
Depth: 2.5 cm
🪶 Provenance
Artist’s own address label verso, reading “B.K. Gallie, Honeysuckle Cottage, Uley, Dursley, Glos.” (Glos. meaning Gloucestershire).
Painted on Daler artist board manufactured by Daler Mountboards, Wareham, Dorset — a respected British maker of professional painting supports.
Acquired from a reputable art dealer in the Eastern Shires.
Subsequently curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd, specialists in British modernist and provincial works.
Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum, featured in a survey of post-war British expressionism.
Later held in a private Gloucestershire collection.
This strong and traceable provenance links the work directly to the artist, the material manufacturer, regional art dealers, and museum exhibition history — reinforcing both authenticity and significance.
💖 Why You’ll Love It
✅ Expressive energy: Every inch of the surface pulses with motion and colour.
✅ Textural depth: Thick, tactile paintwork that shifts beautifully under changing light.
✅ Art-historical resonance: Evokes the dynamic style of Leon Kossoff and the School of London.
✅ Conversation piece: A commanding focal point for any interior or gallery wall.
This is a painting that rewards close viewing — visceral, poetic, and true to the spirit of post-war expressionism.
🧾 Condition
Good vintage condition overall. Paint layers are stable and the surface presents beautifully, with only minor age-related wear & some craquelure consistent with a work of this period. The frame has small, unobtrusive scuffs but remains solid and display-ready.
Please review all photographs for an accurate visual reference.
🛒 Click Buy It Now to make it yours before its gone!
Add this ornithology fighting masterpiece to your art collection today.
🔎 Explore Our ebay shop gallery Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD to discover more hand-picked treasures
💬 Questions? We’re here to help!
Please feel free to send us a message with any enquiries about this piece.
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Also any customs costs charges are also the responsibility of the buyer. The item(s) must be returned back to us in its original as sold described condition before any refund can be made back to the buyer. Deposit payments are non refundable. We certify that all of our selling activities will comply with all EU laws & regulations. After Sales, you can contact us by email or call if you would like to discuss any further questons with regards to your purchase.
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Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD. Registered office located in Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London.
Source the Historic! British & European Fine Arts, paintings, sculptures & valuable collectibles! From the antique 17th century to the modern contemporary era. Founded in 2005 and still run today by fellow Directors Michael, and Victoria, for nearly two decades, coming from an academic background, overseeing all historical research. Supporting the daily operations at Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD & directing our social media campaigns, we've been taking art collectors, hobbyists, and interior aficionados on a journey through time. Our passion is sourcing the very best historic collections that the arts and antiques world has to offer and to-date, we have worked directly with private clients through to commercial corporate organisations, museums, auctioneers, art agents & dealers being their leading collaboration partners as Fine Arts consultants. Certified elected members of the Fine Art Trade Guild.
Source the Historic! British & European Fine Arts, paintings, sculptures & valuable collectibles! From the antique 17th century to the modern contemporary era. Founded in 2005 and still run today by fellow Directors Michael, and Victoria, for nearly two decades, coming from an academic background, overseeing all historical research. Supporting the daily operations at Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD & directing our social media campaigns, we've been taking art collectors, hobbyists, and interior aficionados on a journey through time. Our passion is sourcing the very best historic collections that the arts and antiques world has to offer and to-date, we have worked directly with private clients through to commercial corporate organisations, museums, auctioneers, art agents & dealers being their leading collaboration partners as Fine Arts consultants. Certified elected members of the Fine Art Trade Guild.
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