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Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of wikipedia commons A photo of Picasso, whose creative and colorful pieces can be viewed in the BMA's show, "A Circus Family."

The spring exhibition entitled "A Circus Family: Picasso to Leger" is currently on display at the BMA until May 17. It boasts a variety of etches, lithographs and oil paintings complete with thematic music playing in the background. With bright colors and intriguing subject matter, this exhibition, coincides with the whimsical qualities of the season and makes for an interesting study of circus life at the turn of the 20th century.

From the 1890s to the mid-20th century, artists were captivated by the colorful nature of the circus, and found inspiration for their art in its striking peculiarities. Most of the art depicting circus life focuses on the skill that could be found "on the fringes of bourgeois society." The striking contrast between the untamed, provincial circus life and the rigid nature of the industrial revolution evolved into a peculiar fascination for artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jules Cheret, Otto Dix, Max Pechstein and Ferdinand Leger-whose works, along with several others, are on display at the exhibit.

Those who were a part of the circus culture were often penniless vagrants and led a life similar to those associated with the avant-garde movement at the time, which may account for the successful merging of both artist and subject that can be found in this beautiful display. Due to a French law that prohibited speech in all artistic venues, except the theater, the circus performers had to rely on dramatic gestures. This inspired the direct communication between the artist and viewer that can be found in these works.
Upon entering the exhibit, one may observe several lithographs that became a popular means of advertisement for the circus. Among these, Jules Cheretís' The Tightrope Dancer (1891) is the most well known. This poster-style commercial display works as a model for pop art that would appear many years later.

The following room features a variety of etches and oil paintings by Pablo Picasso, many of which correspond with one another. In Two Acrobats with a Dog (1905), a tall, thin man stands next to a young boy who is petting a small dog. The man has a forlorn expression on his face and appears to be quite tired, as he is a wandering performer. He carries a bag over his shoulder with all of his possessions and wears a multi-colored Harlequin costume, which contrasts with the sunny, yet very cold and bleak landscape. The Acrobat Family (1905) features an older version of the young boy that appears in Two Acrobats with a Dog.

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