Pierrot iconography 1880-1980

foto: Gustav Adolf Mossa, Pierrot s’en va, 1906

“Che fai tu, luna, in ciel? dimmi, che fai, Silenziosa luna?”
G. Leopardi

Pierrot è il personaggio che nella Commedia dell’Arte porta la maschera della malinconia. Innamorato e triste, una lacrima si è cristallizzata sul suo viso. I suoi gesti sono meccanici, è affine ai gatti, alle lepri, ai pavoni bianchi ed è devoto alla luna. Il suo amore è muto e per questo a volte suona il violino. Non è corrisposto ed è condannato al suicidio.

In vista del lavoro che ho realizzato per Merola, ho trovato interessante seguire l’evoluzione del tipo del Pierrot a partire dal 1880 per un secolo, fino al 1980. Si nota come il Pierrot sia stato di moda nelle arti e nel gusto di fine secolo fino agli anni ’20, per via probabilmente di quella eleganza malinconica, la bellezza che nasconde il presentimento di morte.

Ho trovato due saggi che parlano della figura del Pierrot che però non ho potuto leggere: Pierrot fin-de-siècle, ou, Les métamorphoses d’un masque di Jean de Palacio che però è solo in francese e Anatomia del vuoto: Pierrot, uscito nel 2008 nella rivista Locus Solus, che però è a quanto pare impossibile da trovare.

More&constantly updating : visit my pinterest board Pierrot

Illustrations:

Charles Lucien Léandre, Pierrot et Colombine, 1899

Raphael Kirchner, Salome, 1903

Raphael Kirchner, Series of The Deadly Sins: Temptation, Anger

Raphael Kirchner: Lust; Sloth

Raphael Kirchner: Gluttony,

Gustav-Adolf Mossa, title? ca.1910

Leo Rauth, Pierrot and Colombine, 1911

 Leo Rauth: Bal Masque, 1911; Schwibs’, 1911

Leo Rauth, Ein gern gesehener, 1912

Ivo Saliger, Pierrot, 1920 ca., acquaforte a colori

Georges Barbier, Fetes Galantes (Columbine), 1928

Lucien Jaquelux, Pierrot & Colombine, 1930

 Adolfo Busi, Woman with a kneeling Pierrot, 1926

Adolfo Busi, Woman and Pierrot, 1925 (gonnelli.it)

The death of Pierrot, Jeanne Mammen 1920’s

Rie Cramer, Pierrot and Pierrette, 1920’s ?

Charles Lucien Léandre, Pierrot Pendu 1936; Edwin Holgate, Pierrot pendu 1923

Erté, Dancing in the Dark, 1920’s ?

Francesco Nonni, Pierrot con contrabbasso 1924 (gonnelli.it)

Georges Barbier, Fetes Galantes 1928 ?

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley: Pierrot clown selecting books in a library, 1896: Pierrot

Franz von Bayros, Ex-libris Peter Gloeck 1924

Ephemeral (puppets, objects): 

Perfume bottle “Pierrot by Paul Poiret”: launched in 1914. Using the colors of the character of the commedia dell’arte, Pierrot from a black cap-hat and a white collar (referring to the first activity Poiret seam). Starry black box shows the song “Au clair de la lune” dedicated to Lully.

James Ensor, Mask 1910-20?

Marie Vassilieff: Pierrot, 1933; Pierrot dolls, 1927

Pierrot and Pierrette, dolls made by Lenci, 1925, designed by Marcello Dudovich (1878-1962), Italy, 20th century

Posters, cards, advertisings, covers: 

Vanity Fair cover, 1918

Vanity Fair cover, 1920

Vanity Fair cover, 1927

Posters for Pagliacci, opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo 1892

 LEFT: Illustration for Pierrot macabre; ballet-pantomine en un acte et deux tableaux. Scénario de Th. Hannon et J. Hansen. Date 1890.
RIGHT:Poster for the pantomime “Pierrot sceptique” by Léon Hennique and Joris-Karl Huysmans. Date 1881.

Posters for Folies Bergère: by Pal. and Leonetto Cappiello, Chand d’habits!, 1896

Masquerede Ball invitation, 1930’s ?
Postcard by Leonetto Cappiello for Robba, Canelli Torino (Sparkling Wine Drink) 1890’s ?

Asta Nielsen as Pierrot in Urban Gad’s Behind Comedy’s Mask (1913). Poster by Ernst Deutsch-Dryden.

Hedy Nils and Toni Burkmeyer ball, 1920;
Fasching Dienstag Redoute in allen Sälen der Neuen Burg Gesellschaft für graphische Industrie, Wien 1922.

italian popular postcards from 20’s and 30’s

Paintings:

Giuseppe De Nittis, Sarah Bernhardt as Pierrot, 1890’s ?

Henri Rousseau, A Carnival Evening, 1886

Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers Painting, 1908

James Ensor, Pierrot and Skeletons, 1907

James Ensor, The Despair of Pierrot or Pierrot in Despair (second version) 1910

Federico Beltrán Masses, Pierrot patient 1929

Alexander Evgenyevich Yakovlev, Pierrot & Arlechine, 1914

Photographers, performers, film, singers:

Paul Legrand as Pierrot the clown by Nadar. Date circa 1855

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec  as Pierrot, 1894

Sarah Bernhardt by Nadar as Pierrot in Jean Richepin’s “Pierrot the Murderer” Date 1883

Diana Karenne, actress and director of her own films, by Emilio Sommariva, 1917-1918

Diana Karenne in Histoire d’un Pierrot, 1917

Diana Karenne in Histoire d’un Pierrot, 1917

Diana Karenne by Emilio Sommariva, 1917-1918

Alexander Vertinsky, 1916

Alexander Vertinsky, 1916

Marchesa Luisa Casati as Pierrot in a painting by Guiglio de Blaas, 1913

Cecil Beaton, self-portrait as pierrot, c. 1920.

Greta Garbo by Cecil Beaton, 1946

Claude Cahun, Self-Portrait, 1927

Clara Bow as Pierrette, 1929

Rabbit’s Moon, avant-garde short film by American filmmaker Kenneth Anger. Filmed in 1950

Pierrots, Serge Lutens for Dior, 1975.

Serge Lutens for Serge Lutens advertising. He was a French photographer, filmmaker, hair stylist, perfume art-director and fashion designer.

Charlotte Rampling starring in Liliana Cavani’s film “The Night Porter”, 1974

Twiggy in The Boyfriend, film by Ken Russell, 1971

David Bowie for Ashes to Ashes music video, 1980

Steve Strange, 1980’s

Klaus Nomi, 1980’s

Le Pustra, 2014

Le Pustra

Louise Ebel aka Miss Pandora, 2013

Fashion (editorials, designers):

Mariacarla Boscono by Vincent Peters

Tilda Swinton “Traveling with The Night Circus”

Issey Miyake AW 2010

Galliano

 make up (Galliano)

Comme des Garçons Fall / Winter 2000

Editorial by Tim Walker

Editorial by Tim Walker

Editorial by Tim Walker

Editorial by Tim Walker

Editorial by Tim Walker

Andrew Yee For How To Spend It

Vogue Japan November 2013, Fun To Be a Princess Nadja Bender by Camilla Åkrans

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Lovechild Boudoir

 Issue Aganovich & The Colour of Opium by Erik Madigan Heck – Cover