Karl Free

Entry of the White Horse
1928

A vibrant, whimsical illustration depicting a circus scene with a variety of characters and animals. In the foreground, a clown with an exaggerated facial expression crouches on one leg, while another performer in a harlequin costume is pulled by a rearing white horse adorned with colorful decorations. Behind them, a figure in green rides a black horse. Spectators in the background watch aerial performers who hang from ribbons or flags. The scene is set under a circus tent, and the artwork has a vintage, hand-painted quality.

A vibrant, whimsical illustration depicting a circus scene with a variety of characters and animals. In the foreground, a clown with an exaggerated facial expression crouches on one leg, while another performer in a harlequin costume is pulled by a rearing white horse adorned with colorful decorations. Behind them, a figure in green rides a black horse. Spectators in the background watch aerial performers who hang from ribbons or flags. The scene is set under a circus tent, and the artwork has a vintage, hand-painted quality.

Not on view

Date
1928

Classification
Drawings

Medium
Transparent and opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions
Sheet: 15 1/2 × 19 15/16in. (39.4 × 50.6 cm)

Accession number
31.431

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Rights and reproductions
© artist or artist’s estate

API
artworks/1660

Exhibitions

Breaking Ground: The Whitney’s Founding Collection

Apr 28–Sept 18, 2011

Karl Free
11 works in the collection

View artist