CLOWN PORTRAIT BY JULES DUFFART (1960s)

A portrait of a white-faced clown from listed French School artist JULES DUFFART (1924-?), likely painted as a salute to his highly acclaimed contemporary, Bernard Buffet (1928–1999)—the so-called “Miserabilist.” Despite the subject’s glassy, “pity-kitty” eyes and his orange mop wig, his twee expression and (disturbingly) serpentine neck, the work somehow avoids excessive kitsch. Through refined, painterly effects—e.g., the mottling of the background and the clown’s suit; and the nebulous, pineapple-yellow cloud hovering over the collar—a balance of seriousness is achieved. Traditionally framed oil on canvas. JULES DULES DUFFART studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and painted various subjects from landscapes and still lives to portraits and genre scenes. He is known for his careful choice of color palettes, matching their chromatic range beautifully. Duffart was also a master of line work, especially in his landscapes. He creates distinct, dark outlines of hard, angular shapes