The Circus in the Tent 

Margareta Sterian painted 'The Circus in the Tent' with a delicate hand, capturing the ephemeral nature of performance. Sterian came of age during a period of intense social and political change. The rise of socialist and communist ideologies across Europe, the world wars, and the changing roles of women, all form a backdrop to her artistic development. The circus, traditionally a space of entertainment and spectacle, is rendered here with a dreamlike quality. The blurred lines and muted colors evoke a sense of transience, hinting at the fleeting nature of joy and the underlying vulnerability of those who perform for our amusement. The figures are neither fully present nor entirely absent, mirroring the complexities of identity and the roles we play. Sterian’s circus becomes a metaphor for the human condition, a stage where we all perform, mask our fears, and seek moments of connection in a world that often feels precarious. The artwork captures the emotional and psychological dimensions of existence, reminding us of the shared vulnerabilities that bind us together.