The Acrobats (Doré)

The Acrobats (or The Wounded Child) is an oil on canvas painting painted by French artist Gustave Doré, from 1874 . It represents a family of acrobats struck by a tragedy: a male child mortally wounded in the head is held in the arms of his mother, following an accident during a tightrope walker's number. His father, seated and slightly in the background, watches the scene with deep desolation.

Description

The most enlightened part of the painting is centered on the child and his mother. Conversely, the background of the painting, where the tragedy occurred and where the curious are massed, is much darker. The painting can be divided into two parts, by drawing an imaginary diagonal going from the upper right corner to the lower left corner; moreover, the position of the child follows this line, and it is reinforced by the pallor of his white jerkin (the folds of the garment show that it is not his skin).

The bright colors of the circus clothing contrast precisely with the whiteness of the injured child's clothing, yet lit up as if he was beaming with his mother holding his. The child and the mother are characters in a central position, and therefore are seen in full light.

The mother, dressed in a long blue coat and with her head crowned, reminds a gypsy, with her matte skin and very brown, curly hair, a fortune-teller (cards are spread in front of her), or a witch accompanied by her owl. She holds her dying son in her arms, against her body. Her eyes are closed, and a tear runs down her face as she kisses her child.

This representation recalls a Christian iconographic theme, the Virgin Mary mourning the death of Christ - her son - before the burial, therefore resembling a pietà.

The child is dressed in a tight-fitting white garment and wears red panties that emphasize his head wound, surrounded by a heavily bloodstained cloth. His skin, very pale, seems to indicate an approaching death.

On the left, the seated and bent father watches the scene. He seems helpless, with his arms dangling. He show deep sadness, with tears in his eyes. He too is dressed in an all-red circus costume. His hair (or hat) is also colored red. He is holding circus slippers. The number is truly over because of the dramatic circumstances.

In the background in the dark, to the left of the father on the edge of the frame, a crowd of acrobats and onlookers observe the group of the mother and father with the dying son.

Three animals also shown near the group, two dogs and an owl. The father owns a bulldog, who is sitting next to him on his right, and who is also looking sadly to the child. The mother has a bichon. He is covered with a garment whose patterns are similar to those of his owner's dress, but with the blue, gold and silver colors reversed, in negative. The animal puts its left front paw on her and also looks towards the child. The two dogs seem to sympathize with the suffering of their masters and to share their emotion.

The only animal not observing the scene is the strange presence of an owl. She is placed and chained on the edge of the drum where the woman is seated. The nocturnal character of the owl also gives him a kind of demonic connotation. The owl, with his eyes wide open, stares at the horizon, giving the impression of looking in the direction of the viewers of the painting.

The owl symbolizes wisdom in the ancient world; this would be one of the reasons why she remains a stranger to the sadness of all the characters. The Ancient Romans saw in the owl the premonition of death. Traditionally, in certain French regions, the cry of the owl was believed to predict the imminent death of a family member. The paintings owl thus seems to announce the death of the child.

Provenance

The painting was exhibited at the Clermont-Ferrand Museum, since 1937, before being transferred to the Roger-Quilliot Art Museum in the same city, in 1992. It is shown on the floor reserved for 19th century French art. In 2011, the painting was elected as the museum's favorite by its visitors.