Posted on 05/06/2015 10:10:10 AM PDT by Beave Meister
Clownville, a photo series featuring grotesque portraits of terrifying clowns, is the photographic nightmare of French-born photographer Eolo Perfido. Perfido says he was inspired by silent film stars like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, who were forced to exaggerate their emotions because they were unable to speak.
Modern clowns first appeared in the late 18th century and were associated with circuses and comedy. The word itself comes from a Scandinavian linguistic root meaning “clumsy, boorish fellow.” This is why Perfido’s photography is so shocking—he’s transformed something funny and joyful into a vulgar terror.
Eolo Perfido now lives in Italy. His work has been featured in magazines such as NY Times, Communication Arts, Panorama First, Vision, Vogue Russia, GQ Russia, L’Espresso and Computer Arts. Valeria Orlando did the makeup for Clownville.
(Excerpt) Read more at boredpanda.com ...
Why would someone use the 1st Amendment to openly mock the clowns. I call it provocation. We already have ISIS mad at us and now the clowns are being inflamed.
The male ones just look like homosexuals dressing up and acting out.
More icky than nightmarish.
A couple of the female clown photos are pretty well done, but overall... eh. A sort of self-conscious theatricality amongst the dude clowns dissipates any horror potential.
Never understood clown fear. Never had it and can’t see why people wearing makeup is scary in any way. These pictures don’t even register on the “nightmare” scale.
“Are you frightened of clowns...?
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...Emmett Kelly who began his career as a trapese artist and created the memorable clown figure “Weary Willie”. Emmett was originally a member of the Knickerbocker Circus and helped rescue several children when the circus tent caught fire, killing a number of people. The event was known forever after as “the day when the clowns cried.”
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