Cocoanuts, René Daniëls, 1982
oil on canvas, h 200cm × w 140cm × d 4cm
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© René Daniëls/Pictoright
René Daniëls delights in mixing words and images. The title of this painting is a contraction of ‘coconut’ and ‘cocoa’, the fruits hanging from the branches on the left. But ‘nuts’ also means ‘crazy’ as well as ‘testicles’, as suggested in the image by the beard fluttering upwards and the man’s gesture, covering his crotch. The exceptional use of colour reinforces the absurd gaiety.