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In The Pavilion Of The Red Clown is the cover of Robert Williams new book "Through Prehensile Eyes"
a collection of Robert Williams most recent fifty-eight paintings from his past three shows at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York.
A Few Notes On:
"In The Pavilion Of The Red Clown"
It has been very fashionable of late, to cast the clown in the persona
of a phantom psychopath – a thrilling notion that mixes Halloween with
psychiatry. In the mode of antisocial circus performers, little
investigation is given to the psychological makeup of clowns
themselves. But here, in this painting, it is hard to ignore the
personality quirks of this comedian.
A full description of the painting would be in order. This
tableau-vivant takes place in a circus tent, obviously the quarters of
our red clown. The back drop and floor are made up of olive-tan canvas.
This material serves two functions. First, it gives the observer the
impression that everything about the environment is transient, ready to
be moved to the next location. And secondly, the surrounding canvas has
a green tint which emphasizes the image of the clown’s red costume. It
might be pointed out that this carmine red figure of derision and the
similarity to the devil is no coincidence.
In the tent, as incidentals, is a trunk, along with papier mâché masks
and grotesque, illogical theatrical props. The furniture is sparse and
the floor is littered with wine bottles. The clown stands posed with a
bird cage in hand. This raises the question, “Where is the bird?” He
boldly smiles at the visiting show girl, as he alarms her with the
cage’s contents. It is occupied with a harmless yellow corn snake. This
is the visual structure of the oil painting.
This melodramatic scene was paraphrased with these remarks: “Occupying
the cerebral netherworld between humor and severity, the scarlet clad
anti-Puck, clowns around as sole purveyor of an abstract levity with
ambiguous jokes that seem audienceless.”
This last quotation sheds light on the clown’s bizarre psychology. If
you haven’t noticed, the clown has only one leg. He has apparently
adjusted to this infirmity and incorporated it into his act. His thin
left leg, wearing a red shoe, is actually his crutch. Lying on his
steamer trunk is his formal prosthesis used for everyday life. The
floor is strewn with booze bottles – he is apparently an unrepentant
alcoholic – but that would be a simple situation if his psychosis ended
there. It is obvious that he is an experienced master comedian. His
costume is the classical European Scaramouche style with a half-mask
nose. And of course, he wears the mask drawn back on his forehead with
the long nose protruding like a horn, knowingly making himself look
ominous.
Two things are unmistakable. To begin with, he delights in the girl’s
shock, with her surprise in the bird cage. And, his condition – he’s
drunk. It is evident that this character has a second life; however,
what is not so conspicuous is that this performer probably functions
secretly as another clown, a more inculpable form of buffoon. The
girl’s presence in his tent is not only stimulating to him, but is not
an accident. Her lure to his web was, no doubt, consensual.
This clown, when not entertaining a layman public, has conditioned
himself, over the period of a long career, to mentally slip into a
sardonic demi-humor – this is a joke realm more suited to extreme irony
with a lack of moral logic. Here is a statement from the painting’s
prologue verifying this: “Those private moments shared when a rubber
chicken is given a Fleet enema.”
Even detractors to this artwork realize that his image seems to have
meaning beyond this graphic melodrama. Looking at the birdcage, the
question remains, “Where is the bird?” The show girl instantly knew –
it’s in the snake.
G 
