Circus Trainer
Georges Rouault
French, 1871–1958
1915
A gouache and crayon on paper depiction of a burly, caricatured circus trainer in which Rouault exaggerates form and expression to turn a performer into a weighty, almost sacred grotesque.
You first notice the thick, black, stained-glass–like outlines and bulbous, masklike features—green jacket and dark boots painted with spare washes that flatten the body into a mournful, comic figure.
Part of Rouault’s long series on carnival types, this work applies heavy contours and distortion to probe moral and human complexity, helping define a modern Expressionist language that treated performers as emblematic of the human condition.
Medium
Gouache and crayon on paper
Dimensions
15 5/8 x 10 3/8" (39.7 x 26.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Rübel
Accession
616.1951
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
