Alfred Court's Tiger On A Tight Rope
by Ben Stone
Title
Alfred Court's Tiger On A Tight Rope
Artist
Ben Stone
Medium
Photograph - Photography-giclee
Description
A Digitally Manipulated Artist Interpretation of a Photograph of Alfred Court's Bengal Tiger walking on a tight rope at the Circus, Circa 1959. Art work created by Ben Stone.
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A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclists as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term circus also describes the field of performance, training and community which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not the inventor of the medium, Newcastle-under-Lyme born Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus.
In 1768, Astley, a skilled equestrian, began performing exhibitions of trick horse riding in an open field called Ha'Penny Hatch on the south side of the Thames River, England. In 1770, he hired acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers and a clown to fill in the pauses between the equestrian demonstrations and thus chanced on the format which was later named a "circus". Performances developed significantly over the next fifty years, with large-scale theatrical battle reenactments becoming a significant feature. The format in which a ringmaster introduces a variety of choreographed acts set to music, often termed 'traditional' or 'classical' circus, developed in the latter part of the 19th century and remained the dominant format until the 1970s.
As styles of performance have developed since the time of Astley, so too have the types of venue where these circuses have performed. The earliest modern circuses were performed in open-air structures with limited covered seating. From the late 18th to late 19th century, custom-made circus buildings (often wooden) were built with various types of seating, a centre ring, and sometimes a stage. The traditional large tents commonly known as "big tops" were introduced in the mid-19th century as touring circuses superseded static venues. These tents eventually became the most common venue. Contemporary circus is performed in a variety of venues including tents, theatres, casinos, cruise ships and open-air spaces. Many circus performances are still held in a ring, usually 13 m (43 ft) in diameter. This dimension was adopted by Astley in the late 18th century as the minimum diameter that enabled an acrobatic horse rider to stand upright on a cantering horse to perform their tricks.
A shift in form has been credited with a revival of the circus tradition since the late 1970s, when a number of groups began to experiment with new circus formats and aesthetics, typically avoiding the use of animals to focus exclusively on human artistry. Circus companies and artistes within this movement, often termed 'new circus' or 'cirque nouveau', have tended to favour a theatrical approach, combining character-driven circus acts with original music in a broad variety of styles to convey complex themes or stories. Since the 1990s, a more avant garde approach to presenting traditional circus techniques or 'disciplines' in ways that align more closely to performance art, dance or visual arts has been given the name 'contemporary circus'. This labelling can cause confusion based upon the other use of the phrase contemporary circus to mean 'circus of today'. For this reason, some commentators have begun using the term 21st Century Circus to encompass all the various styles available in the present day. 21st Century Circus circus continues to develop new variations on the circus tradition while absorbing new skills, techniques, and stylistic influences from other art forms and technological developments. For aesthetic or economic reasons, 21st Century circus productions may often be staged in theatres rather than in large outdoor tents.
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Uploaded
March 3rd, 2024
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Comments (10)
Susan Huckins
Nice work Ben....even I couldn't do that....however it seems they can! Love your work and your creativity. Susan
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Susan, Thank you so much for your generous praise, it is appreciated immensely!
Catalina Walker
Awesome, Ben! l/f/x
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Catalina, Thank you for the wonderful comment it means a lot to me! Thanks for the l/f/x too!
Antonis Meintanis
Wonderful..fantastic...colorful...in black !! π πBest Wishes !πfavπ
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Antonis, Thank you for your wonderful comment I really appreciate it! Thanks for the Best Wishes and for the fav too!
James Eye
Nice work
Ben Stone replied:
Hi James, Glad you like it! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment it is greatly appreciated!
Svitozar Nenyuk
Outstanding artwork. Great! L/F
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Svitozar, Thank you for your generous praise it is most apprecuated! Thanks for the L/F too!
Robert VanDerWal
I would have Liked to Seen that!
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Robert, Yes I know what you mean how much practice did it take or did the Tiger have that much confidence it its trainer to pull it off on the first try! Thank you for your comment it is most appreciated!
Aziza Del Rosario
Love it Ben , So SuperCool !
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Aziza, I am so glad you love this one, thank you so much for your comment it is most appreciated!
Peter Cole
Wow amazing Ben
Ben Stone replied:
Hi Peter, I am so glad you think so. Thank you for your generous comment it is most appreciated!