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La parata del circo

Georges Seurat French

1887-88

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 825

L’approccio attentamente calibrato del puntinismo di Seurat conferisce un senso di mistero senza tempo a questa scena di artisti che si esibiscono all’ingresso del circo Corvi a Parigi. Su un palco delimitato da una balaustra, al bagliore indistinto di nove luccicanti lampioni a gas, un direttore del circo (a destra) e alcuni musicisti (a sinistra) si rivolgono a una folla di potenziali acquirenti di biglietti i cui assortiti cappelli aggiungono una nota ironica e ritmica in primo piano. L’artista iniziò la tela nella primavera del 1887 tracciando degli schizzi del circo itinerante di Fernand Corvi, che era allestito in un quartiere popolare di Parigi; quindi sviluppò la composizione con una serie di studi preparatori. La parata del circo, una delle sei principali composizioni con figure della breve carriera di Seurat, si distingue per essere stato il suo primo dipinto notturno e il primo dedicato al tema del divertimento popolare.

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Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891 Paris), Oil on canvas

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 1. The Corvi Circus at the Gingerbread Fair, cours de Vincennes, Paris, 1906. Postcard. Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Marseilles

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 2. Georges Seurat, "The Tree," 1887–88. Conté crayon on paper, 11 7/8 x 9 1/2 in. (30 x 24 cm). Private collection

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 3. Georges Seurat, "Trombonist," 1887–88. Conté crayon with white chalk on paper, 12 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. (31.1. x 23.8 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Henry P. McIlhenny Collection in memory of Frances P. McIlhenny, 1986

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 4. Georges Seurat, "Ferdinand Corvi and Pony," 1887–88. Conté crayon on paper, 11 5/8 x 8 5/8 in. (29.5 x 22 cm). Private collection

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 5. Georges Seurat, "Study for 'Circus Sideshow',” 1887–88. Ink squared in graphite on paper, 4 7/8 x 7 1/2 in. (12.5 x 19 cm). Menard Art Museum, Aichi, Japan

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Fig. 6. Georges Seurat, "Study for 'Circus Sideshow',” 1887–88. Oil on wood, 6 1/2 x 10 1/4 in. (16.5 x 26 cm). Foundation E. G. Bührle Collection, Zürich

Fig. 7. "Circus Sideshow" with a diagram of Seurat's compositional grid

Fig. 8. Detail of "Circus Sideshow" (central area), macro-X-ray fluorescence map of calcium distribution, showing the chalk lines of the compositional grid and some underdrawing

Fig. 9. (right) Detail of "Circus Sideshow" (bottom right corner). (left) Macro-X-ray fluorescence map of cobalt and nickel distribution, same area, showing initial large dots of cobalt blue with no detectable cobalt (in red) and subsequent small dots of cobalt blue rich in nickel (in pink)

Titolo: La parata del circo

Artista: Georges Seurat, Francese, 1859-1891

Data: 1887-88

Materiale e tecnica: Olio su tela

Dimensioni: 99,7 x 149,9 cm

Crediti: Lascito di Stephen C. Clark, 1960

Numero d'inventario: 61.101.17

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George Seurat painting depicting a French parade, or circus sideshow

Following the Trail of (Ginger)bread Crumbs: Seurat, the Corvi Circus, and the Gingerbread Fair

Research Assistant Laura D. Corey traces the history of the Corvi Circus around the time that Georges Seurat painted his evocative depiction of the traveling troupe, Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque).

Side Notes on the Sideshow

Associate Museum Librarian for Interlibrary Services and Digital Initiatives Robyn Fleming highlights some of the books that appear in the exhibition Seurat's Circus Sideshow.

The class working on their artworks

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Emily Sutter, coordinator for Digital Learning, discovers what happens in one of the exciting Children's Classes at The Met.

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