Exquisite & Unusual Pair of 1940s Circus Performers Portrait Paintings, Framed Original Oil on Board

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We are pleased and excited to bring you an unusual and exquisite pair of original 1940s circus performers' portrait paintings. … Read more We are pleased and excited to bring you an unusual and exquisite pair of original 1940s circus performers' portrait paintings. We can confidently say we've seen a lot of art work in all different genres and styles in our lift time, but these stand on their own in uniqueness. They are an honest and genuine capture of two male performers, from the era of live entertainment. They are illegibly signed, and dated, on the bottom right hand corner. They are painted on cut canvas board and framed.

The first thing we like to highlight is the muted pastel-like colors. They are so perfectly subtle as they don't need to exaggerate the act of the performers themselves. They are there to support the already somewhat shocking observation. Secondly, what sets each performer apart right away are the puffy white gloves on the one performer, and the mask on the second. But then of course you start to admire the outfits as a whole, and they don't spare. The one is fully decked out in an exuberant circus outfit with its draped design. Let's call him the porter, with that hat. And the second in a more flamboyant and heroic like one. With that mask he's as a super hero! Or is he a villain?

We like to contemplate that mask a bit more. Considering the era, it's very cubist to our mind. And one can't not think of Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907). But maybe we are just reading too much into things. Masks always disillusion us.

The bottom line is that these are special and good in every which way you view them. If you want something exceptional, here they are, ready to entertain.

Please note that one is a touch bigger than the other. See frame sizes below.

Circa: 1940s
Condition: Consistent with age and wear
Frame Dimensions: Porter: 17" W x 21" H, Hero: 18" W x 21 1/2" H See less