Private Collection
© Estate of Alfred Cohen 2020

A ‘confrontation’ implies facing an issue: an enemy; the truth or an inner self. This painting sets up a complex scenario exploring these issues. Two masks confront one another, but the figures themselves face out of the composition. Brighella (on the right) is typically a schemer – often a servant, a Figaro-type character, grinning mischievously. Perhaps only pretending to notice his companion, while enjoying a joke with someone else? Scaramouche (on the left), is generally boastful and villainous, recognisable by his grimace.‘Bergamasque’ also has two meanings: from the town of Bergamo (in north Italy), or a clownish dance. Is this the moment in the dance when the partners face each other – a performance of machismo rather than genuine hostility, their knowing grins for the audience’s benefit? Yet even with their masks off, their faces look like half-masks. Are they showing us their true selves, their true feelings? Or confronting us? Perhaps, we are being challenged with our own hypocrisy, donning our own masks to face the challenge?