Circus Rider (Bleecker Street Tavern Mural) 1940

Franz Kline painted this small square of organised chaos that he called “Circus Rider” sometime before he died in 1962, but the date is unknown. It’s all browns and greens and smudgy blacks, and feels like a memory of something more than an actual scene from a circus. I wonder if Kline himself was a bit like a circus rider, balancing control and chaos in his work? You can see these figures emerging from the brushstrokes, like he's searching for a solid image but is happy to leave it up to the viewer to complete the task. The paint looks like it has been applied quickly, with lots of energy. And it's not just any energy, it's nervous energy. The painting feels like he was trying to capture a feeling more than a picture, something that other painters like Manet were trying to do. I bet that Kline felt that connection. It's like they are all shouting to each other across time with their feelings.