Mr. Grimaldi as "Joey" the Clown 1822

Piercy Roberts created this print of Mr. Grimaldi as "Joey" the Clown in 1822. The clown stands center, with the exaggerated pose of a performer. He's captured mid-performance with wide open stance and comical expression. Roberts's use of line and color creates a dynamic, albeit flat, composition. Notice how the bold outlines define the clown’s figure against the plain background, enhancing the sense of artifice. The red polka dots against the white of the costume create a vibrant, if not unsettling, visual rhythm. The clown's stark white face and exaggerated features contrast with the darker tones of the bottles and shadows, which destabilizes the harmony. Roberts uses the semiotics of clothing, body language, and props to present the cultural code of the circus clown. In this way he is not simply depicting the person, but what that person represents. The artist reveals the power of the clown to play with audience expectations and to challenge fixed categories.