This small Yeats dealing with one of the artist’s familiar subjects
the circus had been secreted in the US up until a few years ago when a
Belfast dealer bought it from an American auction house. It is in
pristine condition with wonderfully rich colouring. On scrutiny of
the painting the word ‘circus’ is very discernible in the centre of
the work. In the foreground a charming couple, a young girl and a more
mature male are engaging each other while a circus hand or performer
is observed resting under the watchful gaze of a figure assuming the
disposition of a clown. The positioning of the old styled red gate is
no accident. This fine example of Yeats’s output can be viewed in The
Taylor Gallery on the Lisburn Road in Belfast.
