CLOWNS AND FLYING SWANS, 1979

Krishna Reddy

Sculptor, educator, and printmaker extraordinaire, Krishna Reddy is best known for his colourful abstract images made using innovations in printmaking techniques he pioneered. In 1978, he took his daughter Apu to a circus, where they witnessed a group of clowns performing. Reddy later recalled, “There must have been at least a hundred of them, performing their parts but simultaneously”. This experience inspired an engagement with the contemporary human condition in his works from the late 70s to the 80s. ‘Clown and Flying Swans’ is a 1979 print from his Clown series. It is an early example of his fascination with the clown motif which would become a recurring feature in his works for the next two decades, allowing him to reflect upon artistic individuality in modern times. Reddy’s dexterity with the print medium and ingenuity with form is brilliantly etched throughout this small but significant work.