Maggie the Pocket Pup

 
Title: Maggie the Pocket Pup
Medium: Acrylic, pencil, charcoal on panel
Size: 11 x 14 inches
 
 
Wearing a battered bowler hat and an oversized coat, the central figure in Maggie the Pocket Pup stands awkwardly against a pale mint green backdrop-an off-kilter character with crooked teeth, a loosely knotted tie, and a distant gaze. But it's the tiny white dog peeking out from his coat pocket-wide-eyed and grinning-that steals the show. A companion, a secret, or a stand-in for hope, Maggie anchors this portrait with unexpected tenderness.
 
 
In Maggie the Pocket Pup, Bakshi fuses pathos and playfulness with razor-sharp intuition. The man appears worn down by the weight of the world, yet his absurd polka­ dotted tie and furry little sidekick tell another story-one of humor, loyalty, and maybe even survival.
 
The piece evokes the tragicomic energy of Buster Keaton filtered through the visual grit of Leon Kossoff, with a nod to the expressive distortion of Philip Guston. 
 
As always, Bakshi's brilliance lies in the details: the dirty cuff, the smeared shadows, the haunted eyes. Yet it's Maggie-tiny, joyful, ridiculous-who reframes the scene entirely. 
 
This portrait doesn't just ask us to look; it asks us to look twice. And when we do, we're rewarded with a surprising sense of affection, hidden right there in the pocket.