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The Flying Codonas circa 1933 20th Century 21 5/8 in. x 18 in. (54.93 cm x 45.72 cm) John Steuart Curry (Oskaloosa, Kansas, 1897 - 1946) Object Type: Drawing Medium and Support: conte crayon and pencil on paper Credit Line: Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection: Purchased with a gift from Virginia Bailey. 1984.042 Accession Number: 1984.042 Comments: Curry had used the circus as subject in the late 1920s, but The Flying Codonas was created in the spring of 1932, when Curry literally followed the circus.  The artist was recently separated from his wife and the lure of the show became too strong.  Featured in the drawing is the circus' biggest attraction: the brothers Alfredo and Lalo Codona, the only pair in the world who could successfully perform the triple somersault from the trapeze (f.n., p. 157).  Here, Curry has captured the pinnacle of circus drama, the second before the catch, when Lalo awaits his spinning brother.  Adding to the drama, many observers must have known that earlier in 1932, Alfredo's second wife died during a fall in one of her performing routines.  Portraying a likeness of the Codonas was not the primary mission for the drawing.  With the tilted, diagonal poles contrasting to the position of the two figures, one tightly closed and the other open, Curry's reveals the dizzying movement essential to the drama.  Curry's paintings from the circus proved to be quite popular.  Ferargil Galleries hosted a popular exhibition of many of the pieces in April, 1933. During this year, the Whitney Museum of American Art purchased the finished painting for which the AAC drawing is a preparatory study.  This work then served as the model for a lithograph edition of 50.

Keywords:

• drawing
• American

Portfolio List
This object is a member of the following portfolios (click any portfolio name to view all objects in that portfolio):

• Twentieth Century American Drawings
• American Regionalism

Keywords:

• Artist:North American:American
• Class:Fine Arts:drawing

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