The world needs its
clowns. Bigger than life, with their exaggerated features and
makeup, dressed in their gaudily mismatched and hilariously
oversized outfits, clowns refuse to be overlooked. And yet, the
portrait of the clown has been all but ignored. Trained to respond
respectfully to serious portraiture, we try to read meaning into
their big mouths, prosthetic noses, and unruly tufts of hair.
Ultimately, the paintings are mysteries: what did amateur artists,
who lavished so much time on these iconic images, hope to capture
and accomplish?
Clown Paintings is a twisty little illustrated book that showcases
sixty-five outrageous and compelling clown portraits, painted by
amateurs and selected by actor/director Diane Keaton. By turns
hilarious and heartfelt, joyful and mortifying, these artworks were
collected over the years by Keaton, who found herself as mesmerized
by their mute eloquence as she was by their bad taste. It’s easy to
see what drew Keaton to them. They embody contradiction; they’re
fabulous and horrible, hysterical and dignified, generic yet
absolutely specific. And above all - in the grand clown tradition -
way out there. The clowns, from whom we expect mischievous,
out-of-control behaviour, are painted as solemn and decorous
subjects to contemplate. Instead of distracting us with brooms,
squawking horns, rubber mallets, and slapstick humour, we get the
chance to look at them carefully, and to consider how they not only
make us laugh, but how they allow us to look more closely at
ourselves. And to contemplate the abyss.
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