Escape artist banner, circus--Houston, Texas 1955

Robert Frank snapped this photograph of an "Escape Artist" banner at a circus in Houston, Texas. I wonder how the painter felt when they were making the banner, probably under pressure to get it done quickly and onto the next town. I feel a real kinship with this. Look at how the black paint has been laid down in broad sweeps, with such confidence. The paint is thin, yet it perfectly captures a sense of drama and suspense. That ‘escape artist’ looks desperate to get out of those chains! You feel a strange sense of movement in the figure. It's almost like the banner painter is challenging the old masters. Think about Goya or Manet. You can imagine them egging the artist on from the sidelines, telling them to add more drama, more passion, more feeling! I love how the circus and the history of painting are in conversation here, it gives the work new meaning.