Clown

Clown

A clown is a comic performer who employs slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime or acrobatic style. Clowns are easily recognizable by their distinctive makeup, colorful costumes, exaggerated footwear, and often a red nose. While historically associated with the circus, clowning is a diverse art form found in various settings, including theatre, street performance, parties, and hospitals.

Introduction

The primary goal of a clown is to evoke laughter and entertain an audience through exaggeration, silliness, and often a touch of vulnerability or pathos. They use a range of techniques, including physical gags (slapstick), props, music, mime, and interaction with the audience or other performers. The visual identity – the unique "clown face" makeup and costume – is central to creating a character and suspending disbelief.

History

The tradition of using foolish, exaggerated characters to entertain has deep roots across various cultures and historical periods.

Origins and Early Forms

Early precursors to the modern clown can be found in:

• Ancient Rome: Performers known as scurrae entertained with juggling, acrobatics, and crude jokes.
• Medieval Europe: Jesters and court fools provided entertainment and, uniquely, held a privileged position allowing them to mock royalty and critique society.
• Commedia dell'arte: This form of Italian theatre, popular from the 16th century, featured stock characters like Harlequin, Pierrot, and Pantalone, many of whom used physical comedy and exaggerated personas that influenced later clown archetypes.
• English Theatre: Shakespearean fools and clowns like Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream are examples of theatrical characters employing comedic techniques that resonate with clowning.

Development in Circus

The modern circus, emerging in the late 18th century, became the primary home for the clown. Philip Astley, often credited with creating the modern circus ring, included a clown in his equestrian shows. Early circus clowns often interacted with the ringmaster and horses.

Joseph Grimaldi (1778–1837), an English actor and comedian, is considered the father of modern circus clowning. He popularized the whiteface makeup design and developed routines involving slapstick, song, dance, and audience interaction, establishing many conventions still used today.

Evolution and Modern Clowning

While the circus remains a significant venue, clowning has evolved beyond the big top.

• Vaudeville and Theatre: Clowns became popular acts in variety shows.
• Street Performance: Many clowns perform outdoors, often interacting directly with passersby.
• Hospital Clowning: "Therapeutic clowns" visit hospitals, particularly children's wards, using humor and play to alleviate stress and fear.
• Contemporary Clowning: Artists like those in Cirque du Soleil blend traditional clowning with theatricality, mime, and elaborate staging, often telling stories or exploring emotional depth.

Types of Clowns

Traditional circus and performance clowning often categorize clowns into distinct types based on their makeup, costume, and character style. The three main types are Whiteface, Auguste, and Tramp/Hobo, though variations and sub-types exist.

Whiteface Clown

The Whiteface is typically the most elegant and authoritarian of the clown types.

• Makeup: Uses a white base to cover the face and neck, with features (eyes, eyebrows, mouth) painted on in black or red. The features are sharply defined. They may have a small red nose painted on or wear a small, tight-fitting red nose.
• Costume: Often wears elaborate, sparkling, or elegant costumes, sometimes resembling formal wear but exaggerated.
• Character: Can range from the sophisticated and stern (Classic Whiteface) to the slightly more foolish but still in charge (Comedy Whiteface). They often act as the straight man or the leader in routines, setting up gags for the Auguste.

Auguste Clown

The Auguste (pronounced "oh-GOOST") is the most common type associated with pure silliness and slapstick.

• Makeup: Uses a flesh-toned, pink, or red base around the mouth and eyes, with the rest of the face white. Features are exaggerated, often with large mouths and eyes painted on. The signature is a large red nose (either painted or prosthetic) and often bright, messy hair or a wig.
• Costume: Wears oversized, mismatched, or brightly colored clothes, large shoes, and sometimes a silly hat.
• Character: The Auguste is the recipient of the Whiteface's tricks, the clumsy fool, the chaotic element. They are typically innocent, naive, and prone to accidents, embodying pure comedic anarchy.

Tramp / Hobo Clown

This type represents the down-and-out character, often with a touch of melancholy but also resilience.

• Makeup: Features a flesh-toned or dirty-white base with a painted-on five o'clock shadow. The mouth is painted in a downturned expression, and the eyes can show sadness. A small red nose is common.
• Costume: Wears worn, patched, or ill-fitting clothes, often dark and drab, with oversized shoes.
• Character: The Tramp (one who travels but doesn't work) or Hobo (one who travels and works) is often portrayed as a victim of circumstance, world-weary but resourceful and often retaining a sense of dignity or quiet humor. Emmett Kelly Sr.'s "Weary Willie" is a famous example.

Character Clown

Based on a specific profession or stereotype, such as a baker, butcher, policeman, or doctor, but presented with clown makeup and exaggerated costume.

Rodeo Clown

A specialized type of clown whose primary function is to protect bull riders by distracting the bull after the rider is thrown. While they use comedic elements, their role is primarily athletic and dangerous.

Performance and Techniques

Clowns utilize a variety of techniques to entertain:

• Physical Comedy (Slapstick): Exaggerated falls, tumbles, chases, and mock violence (hitting each other with soft props).
• Mime: Using exaggerated gestures and body language to tell stories or create invisible objects.
• Gags and Routines: Planned comedic bits, often involving props like squirting flowers, oversized hammers, or collapsible objects.
• Interaction: Engaging with the audience (calling them into the ring, playful teasing) and performing routines with other clowns, often following a dynamic like the Whiteface/Auguste partnership (straight man and funny man).
• Sound Effects: Using noisemakers, horns, or exaggerated vocalizations.

Costume and Makeup

The visual appearance of a clown is crucial to their identity and performance.

• Makeup: Each clown develops a unique "face" design, which is considered their personal trademark. The makeup exaggerates facial features to be visible at a distance and helps create the specific clown persona (e.g., the stern Whiteface, the silly Auguste).
• Costumes: Costumes are typically bright, colorful, and often oversized to create a comical, exaggerated silhouette and allow for unrestricted physical movement. Props like oversized shoes, colorful wigs, and silly hats complete the look.

Cultural Impact and Perception

Clowns occupy a unique space in popular culture, primarily associated with joy and laughter, but also, for some, with fear.

Laughter and Fear

For most, clowns are figures of fun and nostalgia, particularly associated with childhood and the circus. However, the exaggerated features, hidden identity behind makeup, and sometimes unpredictable behavior can trigger coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, in some individuals. Negative portrayals in media (like Pennywise from Stephen King's It) have also contributed to this perception for some.

Social Commentary

Historically, fools and jesters were often the only people allowed to speak truth to power through satire and humor. While less common in modern entertainment clowning, the potential for social commentary through the lens of the outsider or fool remains.

Famous Clowns

Notable figures in the history of clowning include:

• Joseph Grimaldi (England, 18th-19th century): The "father of modern clowning," known for his pantomime and Whiteface character "Joey."
• Emmett Kelly Sr. (USA, 20th century): Famous for his Tramp character "Weary Willie."
• Charlie Chaplin: While primarily a film actor, his "Little Tramp" character uses many elements of tramp clowning (costume, physical comedy, pathos).
• The Fratellini Family (Italy/France, early 20th century): A famous trio representing the Whiteface, Auguste, and Counter-Auguste types.

Modern Clowning

Contemporary clowning continues to thrive in various forms. Beyond traditional circuses, clowns perform in street theatre, festivals, corporate events, and therapeutic settings like hospitals. Modern clowns often explore more subtle or theatrical forms of comedy, sometimes incorporating elements of mime, dance, or character-driven narratives, expanding the art form beyond its historical boundaries.

See Also

• Jester
• Fool
• Commedia dell'arte
• Slapstick
• Coulrophobia
• Circus
• Mime

External Links

• Template:Commons category
• World Clown Association
• Clown Alley (Online resources and history)

Conclusion

Clowning is a rich and enduring performance art with a long history, diverse forms, and a unique ability to connect with audiences through laughter, physical expression, and character. From the ancient fool to the modern hospital clown, the figure of the clown continues to evolve, adapting to new contexts while retaining its core purpose: to entertain, provoke thought, and remind us of the absurdity and joy of life.