It's a Circus in Here--Art inspired by the circus

 For several decades and especially during its peak of popularity, a group of artists were inspired to make art about the circus.  

The Circus No. 1, John Marin, 1952

Think of the subjects that inspire your work.

Are they things or events you are interested in?

The circus, 1964 - Marc Chagal

By the late 1880s, nearly 150 years ago, the circus was a new venue had become a favorite subject for artists 

Albina Felski, The Circus, 1971

Some artists captured the spectacle of the circus, the performers and the animals

Marc Chagall, Lithograph, Le Cirque (The Circus), 1967

Let’s look at art where the performers are the subject!

The Circus, George Bellows 1912

Circus Horse Rider

Remember the painting we looked at made with dots??? Well this painting, Circus, was the third panel in a series by the same artist Georges Seurat.  He painted the popular attraction of the modern city Paris and its late-night entertainment also in DOTS!

The Circus  Georges Seurat 1891

A close up detail of two women enjoying the circus.

The circus (sketch) 1891

Seurat's piece is intended to evoke happiness. Seurat's use of bright colors evoke positive feelings for the viewer.  You can choose colors that feel happy, energetic, upbeat.  This was a sketch for the artwork we just looked at

Details close up. Notice the dots of paint.  This is called Pointillism 

The circus was a space that inspired works throughout Fernand Léger’s four-decade career.

How many years is four decades?

The Performers were important to the circus and Fernand captured them in his colorful art.

As a boy, Fernand had been thrilled by the touring circus troupes that would pass through Argentan, his hometown in rural France. ‘The big top,’ he wrote in 1924, ‘is an absolutely marvelous world.’

The acrobats, study for the circus

Like Fernand, each of the circus performers was an artist skilled in his or her act; much like the modern artist 

What is a VERB?  What VERBS can you name in this work?

This looks like the composition we JUST saw.  

Sometimes Fernand made more than one version of his art keeping the subjects and composition the same but changing the colors or materials.

Fernand Léger (1881-1955) La grande parade (Le Cirque) 1949

And here are some of those SAME circus characters again.  If you like something you’ve made, try to make another version or iteration

Leningrad Circus, 1990 Red Grooms

Charles "Red" Grooms is an American artist. Much of his work shows American life in a fun humorous way. Grooms also made a series inspired by his travels. This artwork was inspired by Red’s memories and interactions with other cultures.  Leningrad Circus is based on his trip to Russia 

Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando 

(Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg) 1879  

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Children even performed at the Circus.  In this painting here we see two little circus girls Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg, who performed as acrobats in Paris. they have just finished their act and are taking their bows. One sister turns to the crowd, pleased with its approval, while the other faces us with an armful of oranges, a rare treat that the audience has tossed in tribute

Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando

Edgar Degas. Painted in 1879

At the exact same Paris circus as the two sisters we just looked at, The acrobat Miss La La caused a sensation when she performed.  Here she is shown suspended from the rafters of the circus dome by a rope she bites between her teeth. We see the circus performer as the audience would have done, gazing up at her dangling from above.

Tightrope walker August Macke 1914

Can you tell what this performer is doing?

Family of Saltimbanques 1905 by Pablo Picasso. 

Pablo Picasso even got into the act.  He painted these traveling Spanish circus performers that he befriended at the Paris circus. He even painted himself into this artwork at the harlequin.  

Even though this painting doesn’t look especially happy, it was done during Picasso’s Rose Period, a time in Pablo’s life where his mood was lifting and he was using warmer and happier colors.

Alexander Calder was also inspired by the Circus.  He made circus performers, animals and an entire performing circus artwork using wire, and other bits and pieces of material like cloth, yarn and wood.

Let’s look at the Circus ANIMALS through the sculpted work of Alexander Calder 

Alexander made some of his own toys as a child.  Many were mechanical.  He used corks, string, pieces of metal and wire. He created a duck that rocked when tapped and a train that ran down a track You may see the inspiration of his childhood in this work of art.  Alexander Calder created a model of a circus using various found objects but mainly wire and wood.  It’s a kinetic sculpture.  When we say something is KINETIC that means it MOVES.  There are performers, contortionists, sword heathers and lion tamers and lots of animals.

Horses, Horses, Horses

Bring on the ELEPHANTS

Circus Clown. What animals do you recognize here?

 

At The Circus Fernando, Rider On A White Horse, 1888 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Think of the ANIMALS you’d see at the Circus

more horses by Henri

Will popular events and past times inspire your work? 

Is Kinetic art, art that moves, the best way to express yourself?  These artists used wire, paint, and pastels. What materials help you to best express your idea?

More Calder