Kees Maks
(Amsterdam 1876 – 1967)
Three German Clowns in the circus ring
Signed lower right
Mixed media on paper, 46.4 x 65.1 cm
Exhibited:
Museum Kunsthal, Rotterdam, Kees Maks, Painter of the mundane life,January 18 – April 21, 2002
Note:
Around 1920, Maks often painted colorful circus artists. Showgirls, artists with their horses, acrobats and perhaps the most appealing to the imagination: the three German clowns. Maks is known for his mundane impressionist, but static figures, which he also painted in oil. This watercolor is most likely a study for the well-known work Three German Clowns in the collection of Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem (inv. no. 5197). The quick brushwork and colors emphasize the dynamics between the three acting clowns.