The Circus Fernando was the first permanent circus in Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec was a frequent visitor and knew all the performers. He always took his sketchbooks and binoculars with him. The artist’s drawing of work in the ring is like a snapshot. It captures and freezes a moment in time, and it is cropped, or cut off, like a photo. Absorbed in her practice, the woman’s back is to us; she is not posing like a model. How do we know this is a practice and not a performance?
Interpretive Resource
Overview: Lautrec's At the Circus: Work in the Ring
Quick facts about the artist's drawing of the Paris circus.CD: With Open Eyes
Art Institute of Chicago. With Open Eyes: Images from The Art Institute of Chicago. CD-ROM. New York: Voyager, 1994.
Art Institute of Chicago. With Open Eyes: Images from The Art Institute of Chicago. CD-ROM. New York: Voyager, 1994.
