A female circus rider rides a horse by standing on one leg on the horse's back. She is trailing a long ribbon that encirlces both of them

Circus Rider

Demuth, Charles

1916

Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Circus Rider

  • Artist:

    Demuth, Charles

  • Artist Bio:

    American, 1883–1935

  • Date:

    1916

  • Medium:

    Watercolor and graphite on paper

  • Dimensions:

    12 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Roland P. Murdock Collection

  • Object Number:

    M94.51

  • Display:

    Not Currently on Display

About the Artwork

Demuth, like Walt Kuhn, was a chronicler of American vaudeville and circus life. In Circus Rider an equestrienne, encircled in swirling scarves, rides a piebald horse. As in African Daisies, the under drawing is in pencil. The superimposed washes of color, coupled with the white of the paper, describe the space and volumes of the picture. The extraordinary richness and vary in density of the blacks is particularly notable. Demuth named the rider Mademoiselle Fifi—perhaps after a particular circus performer – and the painting has been illustrated under that title. The receipted voucher of January 20, 1951, from Kraushaar Galleries gives the title as Circus Rider.