QuoteProject
In a clown, we see what we do that makes us laugh and cry. I kept the white face, the tradition of the Pierrot. My clown became a romantic and stylized figure. I wanted to be an abstract and concrete figure, a symbol of humanity.
Marcel Marceau
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the dual nature of human emotion as presented through the art of clowning, emphasizing its romantic and symbolic aspects.

Marcel Marceau highlights the importance of the clown as a representation of the complexities of human emotion, encapsulating both joy and sorrow. The clown figure, particularly the Pierrot, serves as a stylized symbol that captures the essence of humanity, illustrating how art can evoke deep feelings and connections through its abstract portrayal.

Themes

ClownArtEmotionsHumanitySymbolism

In practice

Example use cases

A performance review highlighting the emotional elements of clown artistry.

More from Marcel Marceau

A mime is a terrible thing to waste.
Marcel MarceauRead
Mime makes the invisible, visible and the visible, invisible.
Marcel MarceauRead
I am a company in myself. My repertoire has become a bible for all mimes in the world.
Marcel MarceauRead
When you're in a play, 50 percent is the genius of the actor, 50 percent is the genius of the author. When a mime is not perfect, you see nothing.
Marcel MarceauRead
Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music.
Marcel MarceauRead
Mime, like music, knows neither borders nor nationalities.
Marcel MarceauRead

Similar quotes

Most poets are young simply because they have not been caught up. Show me an old poet, and I'll show you, more often than not, either a madman or a master... it's when you begin to lie to yourself in a poem in order simply to make a poem that you fail. That is why I do not rework poems.
Charles BukowskiRead
In no other sport is the connection between performer and observer so intimate, so frequently painful, so unresolved
Joyce Carol OatesRead
Every man is a plastic artist who must determine things for himself.
Joseph BeuysRead
I work with few colors, what creates the illusion of quantity is that they fell in the right place.
Pablo PicassoRead
Art-making is not about telling the truth but making the truth felt
Christian BoltanskiRead
Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him.
William FaulknerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.