Hello people,
our theme today is “The Performers”; artistes who entertain us on the stage. Here in the first painting we have perhaps the lion tamer and his lovely assistant. The lion looks more like a big cat, so the danger is somewhat exaggerated, and the facial expressions accordingly deadpan. I like the simple shapes and the way the stripes and lines work with and against each other.
The song and dance man was a type of performer from a hundred years ago who stepped bravely onto the stage to give the crowd a song, a dance, and perhaps a bawdy joke. He would warm up the crowd before the dancing girls or the trained animal act. This type of performer does not exist anymore, but I have given him new life in the painting below. The indifference of the stage manager and the anticipatory look of the next performer gives the scene a sad sense of theatre. Coincidentally, stripes play a role again in this composition.
As they say on the stage, “break a leg”!
Barry
Barry Trower 