Circus Rider (Bleecker Street Tavern Mural) 1940

Franz Kline made this painting, Circus Rider (Bleecker Street Tavern Mural), with oil on canvas. Just look at that warm brown ground! It's like looking into a sepia dream. Kline approaches his subject matter, a circus scene, with broad strokes and a real sense of process. You can almost feel him figuring it out as he goes, the canvas becoming a stage for his thoughts. The material aspect is striking. The paint is applied with a kind of confident recklessness. Thick in some parts, thin in others, creating a texture that’s both dynamic and unpredictable. I love the way the white of the rider's dress contrasts with the dark figure looming above, creating a tension that crackles across the surface. It's a masterful use of color to convey emotion. This work reminds me a little of some of Daumier’s paintings. Both artists capture a sense of movement and energy, inviting us to see the world not as a fixed, static thing, but as something fluid and ever-changing.