Agnello Clown, by Robert Springfels, 1949

Giuseppe Armani ceramic statue of a clown with balloons and an umbrella on a square wooden base

American Contemporary oil on canvas figurative painting featuring a group off people posing for a group photo in a red opened box (ROBERT SPRINGFELS 1970)

This portrait of a clown by Maurice Kish is part from a series of carnival figures, circus clowns and carousel horses and riders that he did in the 30s and 40s. The artist uses a vibrant color palette and controlled brushstrokes to depict the subject in a realistic way. The imagery of Maurice Kish (1895-1987), whether factories or carousels, reliably subverts expectations. His vision hovers just around the unraveling edge of things, where what is solid and clear becomes ambiguous. He is fascinated, often delighted, by the falling apart. This unexpected, fresh perspective results in oddly affecting pictures of a now long-gone New York. Born Moishe in a town called Dvinsk, Russia (what is now Daugavpils, Latvia), Kish came with his family to New York when he was in his teens. The family settled in Brownsville, and for the rest of Kish’s life Brooklyn remained his home, though he moved from one neighborhood to another. He was close to his parents, who recognized his talent and supported his desire to become an artist. Kish attended the National Academy of Design as well as Cooper Union. His fellow students included many other immigrants and children of immigrants who were particularly receptive to the Modernism coming from Europe. As his career progressed, Kish himself applied different strains of Modernism to different purposes. For him, the story was held above all else. For years, Kish used the skills he acquired in art school to earn his living at a Manhattan glass...

When it comes to pictorial imagery on the theme of clowns, complexity emerges, often revealing multiple layers of interpretation. Beyond the laughter and amusement associated with circus performers, there are poignant undercurrents of potential suffering and personal anguish. This oil portrait explores the duality inherent in the clown...