Circus - sun III 

Małgorzata Serwatka created this watercolor entitled "Circus - sun III" sometime in the late 20th or early 21st century, though it is not dated. It shows the persistence of imagery associated with the circus in the collective imagination. Here, the circus is not presented as the historically-specific traveling show that emerged in post-Revolutionary France and spread across Europe and the Americas. Instead, this circus seems to be a theater of the mind that draws on cultural memories and childhood associations. We see traditional imagery, such as prancing horses, big cats, and acrobats, but they appear to float in the sky, as though liberated from earthly constraints. The figures and animals seem to be performing for an audience of planets and stars. As art historians, we are interested in the way such images as these take on new meanings across time. We use diverse sources, such as popular media, posters, and even literature, to better understand the changing social and institutional contexts of art.