The Little Dwarf (Translation)
Cirque de l'Etoile Filante (The Shooting Star Circus), published in 1938 (Series Title)
Le Petit Nain (Primary Title)
Georges Rouault, French, 1871 - 1958 (Artist)
By the 1930s, Rouault’s already considerable international reputation as a painter was enhanced by his prolific achievement as a printmaker, which included his production of illustrated books. Each plate of The Shooting Star Circus, published asa loose folio, features a portrait of a circus performer in costume. The inky blacks of the etched plate, a signature of Rouault’s style, increase the vibrant, even garish, colors of the troupe’s gaudy attire. Rouault was particularly fascinatedby the road-show clown, who lived an improvised existence at odds with his humorous appearance on stage. He poses his figures in moments of solitary reflection, their isolation in full stage regalia serving to heighten the feeling of alienation,absurdity, and pathos.
Gift of T. Catesby Jones
©artist or artist’s estate
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