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NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE…

 

THREE CLOWNS

BY LOCAL ARTISAN

SIMMONE HULETT

LARGE WATERCOLOR PAINTING

SURREAL

FRAME MEASURES ABOUT 29" X 36"

PAPER IS LOOSE AND CAN BE SHIPPED

FOR MUCH LESS WITHOUT THE FRAMING

IMAGE ON ITS OWN IS 22" x 30"

(WHICH CAN BE SHIPPED IN A TUBE MAILER)

ORIGINAL ART / OA

WAS DEDICATED ON THE REVERSE

BUT THE CURSIVE SCRIPT IS

DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER

GREAT HOME DECOR FOR YOUR CIRCUS

GREAT GIFT IDEA

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

A delightful interplay of reality and escapism, representational and fantasy elements is found in a retrospective exhibit of works in various media by longtime city artist Simonne Hulett on display in the Oklahoma Room at Kirkpatrick Center, 2100 NE 52.

Born in 1921 in Berne, Switzerland, Hulett came to America as a baby and moved to Oklahoma after serving as a nurse in the U.S. Army in World War II. She studied art at Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma, where she graduated in 1971.

"Mother Nature is my inspiration and women are my reflections of her," Hulett once said, and many of her colorful, semi-abstract compositions in the current show reflect this emphasis.

A carefree, slender young woman gesturing in front of lyrical branches in an early oil canvas finds a distant echo in the much larger but equally serendipitous female figures found in Hulett's later "Monumental Nudes Series," for example.

Lush, decorative interior objects surround one monumental nude, turning her head demurely away from us, while a second giant figure meets our gaze steadily as she poses like Eve in front of her flower garden, somehow seeming weightless in spite of her girth.

An elongated vertical format and intricate flowery background makes the fleshy masses and washes that define the figure of "Pearl" appear nebulous and almost insubstantial by comparison in one watercolor.

On the other hand, a vertical format helps to emphasize the jaundiced, sallow complexion of a younger, thinner woman as she casts an angry sidelong glance in our direction in Hulett's "Mark of Cain."

A regally robed, madonna-like figure's shadowy bosom provides shelter for her baby in "Mother & Child," and two women's dark veils create not only negative space but mystery within the ornate patterns of a harem-like interior in two other fine watercolors.

Several women in pattern blouses and long skirts pause beside their gondola to enjoy the sights of Venice in an untitled watercolor - supplying a striking contrast to the tight-lipped, angry expression of a "White Haired Lady Sleeping" in a watercolor-pastel. Animals and figures other than female are also used to good advantage by Hulett to create the desired emotional mood and atmosphere.

A "Cock Fighter & Trainer" looks away from his charge, towards us, with a rather disconsolate expression, in a monoprint, and a clown, surrounded by what appear to be circus poles, has a melancholy look in his eyes, to name two cases in point.

A curled up, expressively rendered "Tiger" seems almost playful, more stuffed toy than predator, despite touches of red that may represent blood, and a pinkish "Elephant in China" appears to be a figment of some child's imagination.

"Cattle at the Ranch" merge with the deep blue of evening in a monotype and a feline turns away from us to frame a yellow sunlit space with its blue back in Hulett's lithograph of "Pitou My Cat."

Vigorous pastel strokes define "Land, Sea and Sky" in one of Hulett's most straightforward depictions of nature - a work which offers a nice contrast to the much more abstract evocation of landscape-like forms in a monoprint called "Land of Mystery."

Two other semi-abstract watercolor floral studies that make a pleasing impression on the viewer are "Clematis Vine" and "Sunflowers in a Field - Italy."

Offered to "celebrate the full, rich life and long artistic career" of Hulett, the retrospective show of her work is highly recommended during its run through April 2 in the Air and Space Museum's Oklahoma Room at Kirkpatrick Center.

 

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FYI 

A clown today is one of various types of comedic performers, on stage, television, in the circus and rodeo. Though not every clown is readily identifiable by appearance alone, clowns frequently appear in makeup and costume, as well as typically unusually large footwear, oversized or otherwise outlandish clothing, big or otherwise unusual nose, and enacting humorous sketches, usually in the interludes between major presentations. The clown's humor today is often visual and includes many elements of physical comedy or slapstick humor but not exclusively. For instance, Wavy Gravy's comedy is often cerebral, spiritual, or even political in nature.

The word clown comes from words meaning "clot" or "clod" which came also to mean "clumsy fellow", according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Clown is both a noun and a verb, and can also be an adjective (clown bike, clown shoes, clown white, clown gag and so on). Clown is also used to refer to anyone who provides entertainment in a clownish manner. Among professional clowns, "clown" often refers to the character portrayed, rather than the performer. This usage is somewhat rare outside of the professional clown and/or theatrical community.

History

Clowning is a form of entertainment which has appeared in some manner in virtually every culture. In most cultures the clown is a ritual character associated with festival or rites of passage and is often very different from the most popular western form. In Europe, up until as late as the 19th century the clown was a typical everyday character, and often appeared in carnivals. The performance is symbolic of liminality - being outside the rules of regular society the clown is able to subvert the normal order, and this basic premise is contemporarily used by many activists to point out social absurdity.

A popular early form of clown was the fool, a role that can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt and appears as the first card in the tarot deck. Most fools suffered from some physical or mental deformity, and were given to the local landlord as a charge, because their families were unable to look after them, and the surrounding communities often feared them. They were the butt of jokes, and their masters had the power to inflict violence upon them and even take their lives. However, being perceived 'idiots' they were often the only people in court who enjoyed free speech, and during the 16th century, especially in France, actors began to train as fools often in order to have the ability to make satirical comment. This is mainly where we get the contemporary idea of the court jester, immortalized and romanticized by actors such as Danny Kaye in The Court Jester. There is evidence of the 'wise fool' similar in function to the jester in many other cultures.

The clown of this era and eras previous to it were also associated with jugglers, who were seen as the pariahs of society alongside actors, prostitutes and lepers, and thus (at least in Europe) wore stripes, or motley - cloth associated with marginalized people such as the condemned, with strong associations of the devil. Jugglers often used attributes of the clown, and the later court jesters often danced, performed acrobatics and juggled.

During the 16th century the Commedia dell'arte also became a huge influence on perceptions of the clown in Europe, and influence which passed through pantomime, into vaudeville and on to the touring circuses of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Commedia took influences from the grotesque masked clowns of carnivals and mysteries, and began in market places as a way to sell vegetables. It became incredibly popular throughout Europe amongst both the general public and the courts. The stock characters of the commedia originally included the Zanni - peasant clowns, Pantalone, the old Miser, Il Dottore - The Banal Doctor, and then grew from there to incorporate the Lovers, Arlechinno, Pedrolino, and Brighella, who have survived into the twentieth century in one form or another.

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