Circus Days

An orchestrated riot of trivial entertainment smothered in the stigmas surrounding the travelling communities and there presumed behaviour, have been frequently targeted by artists from various disciplines, in particular photography.

Jill Freedman- Circus Days (1971)

Leeds Galleries, ‘The Series of Artworks Carefully Arranged’ considers the way in which particular performances mimic and exaggerate situations from every day life, enabling us to begin to understand reality from a distanced perspective. The pieces of artwork ...

‘aim to highlight the way familiar objects, images and stories, as well as the grotesque, unknown and peculiar, can allow us to confront deep and uncomfortable truths.’  

John Byam Shaw- Such is Life (1907)

John Byam Shaw’s, ‘Such is Life’, incorporates all aspects of the collections concept which I believe is the reasoning behind its prominent positioning in relation to the other pieces. It demonstrates how performance can mimic and exaggerate everyday life. Initially the characters consisting of dancers and clowns seem to be linked through the general theme of performance which are brought together to capture a snippet of a story. The main focus of the image appears to be the tender and intimate moment shared between the two dancers in the foreground, however the affectionate atmosphere is significantly transformed by the presence of the two laughing clowns. The atmosphere is now uneasy and the painting almost becomes a representation of embarrassment which is then exaggerated by the uniformed policemen lurking in the shadows, barely noticeable. Similarly to the divided perspective of the circus atmosphere we have by society today the painting also travels from moments of disturbance to alterative moments of compassion.

Until reading the information available I didn’t notice the text positioned discreetly above the clowns disguised in the form of an advertisement poster reading, ‘Scandal’. In my opinion I felt possibly the use of text could have been more effective if used more discrete, or in a degree which was less obviously descriptive of the situation.

‘I believe this painting illustrates the consequences of petty gossip and mankind’s instinct to want to know everything about everyone.’  

The diagram demonstrates the hierarchy of the characters established by the use of composition and contrasting tones. Usually the characters which are raised above others are the desired focal point of the image, however due to the use of a stronger light source upon the intimate couple the focal point of the image is shifted.



Both Bruce Davidson and Jill Freedman took performance related imagery particularly focusing on the diverse characters of the circus community, some images of which are uncannily similar.

Jill Freedman- Time Out

During the 1970’s Jill Freedman whilst living in a beat-up white Volkswagen bus followed the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus as it travelled from upstate New York to Cincinnati producing a range of images straight out of a Fellini film.

Bruce Davidson, eleven years prior to the photography exhibited by Jill Freedman, documented his profound interest in the unexposed daily lives of the circus people, in particular an intimate series of a dwarf clown.  

‘Davidson’s poetic and profound eye reveals not only the circus that is passing away, but takes us through what could be called the eternal circus.’

 Both Freedman and Davidson shot photographs of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, however Davidson in addition to this recorded images from two very different Amercian circus’ across a decade in the mid-twentieth century. This change in individuals of similar surroundings throughout the decade was able to alter his photographic perspective. In 1958 Davidson viewed the performance of the famous lion tamer Clyde Beatty and human- cannonball Hugo Zacchini from the top of the performance tent. In 1965 at a multi ring coliseum show, Davidson took a more critical look at performances under a steel and concrete environment which resulted him a sharper more surreal outlook and outcome. Finally, in 1967 Davidson caught the elegant exuberance of an Irish one-ring circus in which he strived to capture the true essence of the circus, including an eye-to-eye encounter with an exceptional trapeze artist made from a perch at the top of the tent.

Bruce Davidson- The Dwalf (1958)

The photograph above is one of many featuring the dwarf-clown Jimmy Armstrong who is the focal point of the image demonstrated by the foreground placement against the excluded clients in the background. The slightly blurry cropped individuals in the background appear to be laughing at Jimmy Armstrong, which appears ironic due to the nature of his occupation. The audience empathises with Jimmy as he evokes emotions of rejection and loneliness conveyed by his facial expression, similar to the mask of paint veiling his emotions during the performance of a clown.