Beschreibung:

Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) The Mexican of the Circus (1902) Watercolour, 36.5 x 26.5cm (14 1/2 x 10 1/2'') Signed Exhibited: 1902 Dublin; 1965 Waterford (3); 1971-72 Dublin, New York (20). Provenance: Given to the Reverend TA Harvey, Bishop of Cashel in 1902; thence by descent. Literature: Hilary Pile, 'Jack B. Yeats, His Watercolours, Drawings and Pastels', Irish Academic Press, 1993, catalogue no. 420, illus. p. 118. This is an early watercolour painting of a circus act by Jack B. Yeats. A young man rides a white horse bare backed, gripping onto a leather girdle around its body. The man wears a wide-brimmed white hat and a loose sleeved red shirt, his costume accentuating his persona as the Mexican. There is something oddly Irish about the clothing also the hat, loose trousers and pampootie style moccasins are reminiscent of the traditional attire of the Aran Islander which featured in other works by Yeats of this time. One of the attractions of the circus for Yeats and others was its mixture of unfamiliar nationalities and races along with its fabulous menagerie of animals from across the globe. Yeats was a prolific visitor to the circus, both in England where he was living in 1902, and in Ireland. His sketchbooks are full of drawings of the various acts and of the crowds that watched the performances, providing ideas and motifs for many of his later paintings. Here the canvas awnings of the interior of the tent provide the backdrop. The composition is dramatically cut-off, emphasising the contorted but agile figure of the performer as he skilfully maintains his balance. In the lower right corner the head and hands of an onlooker is visible. He is engrossed in the spectacle, and his inclusion enables us to share in the suspension of the everyday that the circus provided for its many admirers. The painting was given by Yeats to his close friend, the Rev. T. A. Harvey who was later Bishop of Cashel. Harvey had been a tutor to Lady Gregorys son Robert and had met Yeats at Coole Park. The two visited each other and corresponded during these years. They were part of a close circle of friends and acquaintances that included Robert Gregory his wife Margaret, Cottie Yeats, and the writer, J.M Synge. Dr. Róisín Kennedy, November 2019. Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) The Mexican of the Circus (1902) Watercolour, 36.5 x 26.5cm (14 1/2 x 10 1/2'') Signed Exhibited: 1902 Dublin; 1965 Waterford (3); 1971-72 Dublin, New York (20). Provenance: Given to the Reverend TA Harvey, Bishop of Cashel in 1902; thence by descent. Literature: Hilary Pile, 'Jack B. Yeats, His Watercolours, Drawings and Pastels', Irish Academic Press, 1993, catalogue no. 420, illus. p. 118. This is an early watercolour painting of a circus act by Jack B. Yeats. A young man rides a white horse bare backed, gripping onto a leather girdle around its body. The man wears a wide-brimmed white hat and a loose sleeved red shirt, his costume accentuating his persona as the Mexican. There is something oddly Irish about the clothing also the hat, loose trousers and pampootie style moccasins are reminiscent of the traditional attire of the Aran Islander which featured in other works by Yeats of this time. One of the attractions of the circus for Yeats and others was its mixture of unfamiliar nationalities and races along with its fabulous menagerie of animals from across the globe. Yeats was a prolific visitor to the circus, both in England where he was living in 1902, and in Ireland. His sketchbooks are full of drawings of the various acts and of the crowds that watched the performances, providing ideas and motifs for many of his later paintings. Here the canvas awnings of the interior of the tent provide the backdrop. The composition is dramatically cut-off, emphasising the contorted but agile figure of the performer as he skilfully maintains his balance. In the lower right corner the head and hands of an onlooker is visible. He is engrossed in the spectacle, and hi