A Musical Clown 1930

Laura Knight painted this image of a musical clown, and another figure, probably in oil paint. I love that Knight isn't afraid of painting all the different textures and patterns: the stripes of the zebra, the shiny blue of the clown’s suit with the little red heads sewn all over it, and then that green cloak is just thrown over the other figure’s shoulder. Each is painted differently and the colours and composition have this feeling of an image cobbled together, with each part being given its own attention. Look at the clown's suit and how the fabric folds slightly at the hip. See how the artist has tried to create a sense of form with the texture, and the colour is darker on the underside of the fold? You can see Knight at work there. This attention to detail is probably influenced by artists like Degas. This work shows us that art can be a real, living practice.