Clowns, Fools and Picaros

By its very nature the clown, as represented in art, is an interdisciplinary phenomenon. In whichever artform it appears fiction, drama, film, photography or fine art it carries the symbolic association of its usage in popular culture, be it ritual festivities, street theatre or circus. The clown, like its extended family of fools, jesters, picaros and tricksters, has a variety of functions all focussed around its status and image of being other. Frequently a marginalized figure, it provides the