Fairs and circuses were a lifelong source of inspiration for De Smet, whose father used to paint sets for such events. In this purified composition, the space is reduced to a two-dimensional surface and the colour palette is limited. The figures have oval heads, almond-shaped eyes, big rosy cheeks and cylindrical necks and limbs. They are evocative of the French artist Fernand Léger, but are also inspired by African and Egyptian art.
Gustave De Smet, who grew up in Ghent, was introduced to the world of fairs and circuses as a child: his father used to paint backdrops for the show tents. It became a lifelong source of inspiration for his son, Gustave.
We are standing before a shooting range. When De Smet painted this canvas in 1923, he was already acquainted with the European avant-garde, such as German Expressionism and Picasso’s Cubism. He encountered these styles during his long stay in the Netherlands, both during and after the First World War. These discoveries would be a source of inspiration that had a life-long bearing on his work.
Brown, red and ochre: this is the minimalist colour palette used in the painting. The space is reduced to a flat, two-dimensional plane and the four figures possess the characteristic features that we often see in De Smet’s work: an oval head, almond-shaped eyes, flushed round cheeks, a cylindrical neck and tubular arms and legs.
Gustave De Smet was part of the group of Flemish Expressionists who lived and worked in the environs of Sint-Martens-Latem near Ghent.