Santa Fe New Mexico

Cirque du Metal

It’s no surprise that the “Circus Theme” has attracted the attention of artists of the past. The multicolored brightness of the circus, as a celebration, is presented in the paintings of such artists as Degas, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec.

The Artist here is following in the same direction, showing the fantastic world of the circus. ‘Parade-allez’ is created by the riders with fluttering shirts, attracting the viewer by ensuing the feeling of celebration on the brightly lit stage.

Yet, there is a major difference in this piece from the traditional presentation of the circus theme. The “jingle of the metal” is coming from the images of the “actors” themselves.

In this painting, the Artist is following his metaphorical style with its unexpected comparison and “likeness” of things. The actor, juggling forks, spoons and plates, morphs into the metallic object himself and plays with balls. The geometric and metallic structure of the “actors” is supported by the sharpness of knife blades and by the beams of light. At the same time, the light beams are “humanized” by the “faces” of the light projectors and their “gazes” as they direct the viewer’s attention to the stage.

Parade: This term came from street shows. The artistic entrance of all the program participants was called, the circus name, 'parade-allez.' In addition, the word 'parade' designated a comic dialogue, in which humorous content was often based on deafness and impercipience of the interlocutor. It was played by performers at the entrance to attract people.