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Clowns are comic performers, stereotypically characterized by their colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, and unusually large footwear.

Clowning, in its most basic form, can be described as one form of drama without a fourth wall; however, there are other types of drama that are lacking the element of a fourth wall as well. In other words, a clown acknowledges his audience. The clown's humor today is often visual and includes many elements of physical comedy or slapstick humor.

Clowns spread in cultures of any time and place, because they meet some deeply rooted needs in humanity: violation of taboos, the mockery of sacred and profane authorities and symbols, reversal of language and action, and a ubiquitous obscenity.[1] An interesting example can be found in the Native American clown societies.
A clown participating in a 2004 Memorial Day parade.
A clown participating in a 2004 Memorial Day parade.

Clowning is a form of entertainment that has appeared in some manner in virtually every culture, including the bushmen in Africa. In most cultures the clown is a ritual character associated with festival or rites of passage and is often very different from the most popular western form. In Europe, up until as late as the 19th century the clown was a typical everyday character, and often appeared in carnivals. The performance is symbolic of liminality - being outside the rules of regular society the clown is able to subvert the normal order, and this basic premise is contemporarily used by many activists to point out social absurdity.

During the 16th century the Commedia dell'arte also became a huge influence on perceptions of the clown in Europe, an influence which passed through pantomime, into vaudeville and on to the touring circuses of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Commedia took influences from the grotesque masked clowns of carnivals and mystery plays, and began in market places as a way to sell vegetables. It became incredibly popular throughout Europe amongst both the general public and the courts. The stock characters of the commedia originally included the Zanni - peasant clowns, Pantalone, the old Miser, Il Dottore - The Banal Doctor, and then grew from there to incorporate the Lovers, Arlecchino, Pedrolino, and Brighella, who have survived into the twentieth century in one form or another.

Clown types

1.Whiteface

2.Auguste

3.The contra-auguste

4.Character clown
1.American character clown types
2.Joey, the Auguste and the ringmaster

5.Other types

Native American clowning
Rodeo
Commedia dell'Arte

1.Whiteface

It is important to note that a whiteface character does not always wear the classic whiteface makeup. Additionally, a character can wear traditional whiteface makeup and be an auguste.

Classic appearance

Traditionally, the whiteface clown uses "clown white" makeup to cover his or her entire face and neck with none of the underlying flesh color showing. In the European whiteface makeup, the ears are painted red. Features, in red and black, are delicate. He or she is traditionally costumed far more extravagantly than the other two clown types, sometimes wearing the ruffled collar and pointed hat which typify the stereotypical "clown suit".

Character

The whiteface character-type is often serious, all-knowing (even if not particularly smart), bossy, and cocky. He is the ultimate authority figure. He serves the role of "straight-man" and sets up situations that can be turned funny.

2.Auguste

Character

The auguste character-type is often an anarchist, a joker, or a fool. He is clever and has much lower status than the whiteface. Classically the whiteface character instructs the auguste character to perform his bidding. The auguste has a hard time performing the task given which leads to funny situations. Sometimes the auguste plays the role of an anarchist and purposefully has trouble following the whiteface's directions. Sometimes the auguste is confused or is foolish and is screwing up less deliberately.

3.The contra-auguste

The contra-auguste plays the role of the mediator between the whiteface character and the auguste character. He has a lower status than the whiteface but a higher status than the auguste. He aspires to be more like the whiteface and often mimics everything the whiteface does to try to gain approval. If there is a contra-auguste character, he often is instructed by the whiteface to correct the auguste when he is doing something wrong.

Some people find clowns disturbing rather than amusing. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid of disguised, exaggerated, or costumed figures — even Santa Claus. Ute myths feature a cannibalistic clown monster called the Siats.

Clown costumes tend to exaggerate the facial features and some body parts, such as hands and feet. This can be read as monstrous or deformed as easily as it can be read as comical.

The irrational fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia. Some have suggested that a fear of clowns may stem from early childhood experience, when infants begin to process and make sense of facial features. The significant aberrations in a clown's face may frighten a child so much that they carry this phobia throughout their adult life.

It can also be said one's response to a clown might depend on where it is seen. At a circus or a party, a clown is normal and may easily be funny. The same clown knocking on one's front door at sunset is more likely to generate fear or distress than laughter or amusement. This effect is summed up in a quote often attributed to actor Lon Chaney, Sr.: "There is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." In the Space To Care study aimed at improving hospital design for children, researchers from the University of Sheffield polled 250 children regarding their opinions on clowns; all 250 children in the study, whose ages ranged between four and sixteen, reported that they found clowns frightening and disliked clowns as part of hospital decor.

The British arts and music festival Bestival discarded its 2006 clown theme because many adult ticketholders were afraid of clowns

za kraj par slicica (p.s mislim da ih nebi htjeli sresti u mraku...) :





sweettooth

Prošlo je stvarno puno vremena otkako sam vidio Sweetootha

Iskreno ne mogu ti opisati koliko mi se klaunovi gade, ne samo da ih mrzim, nego me i uhvati neka jeza i osjećaj nelagode svaki puta kada ih pogledam. Ovo se ne odnosi na ove klaunove koje si stavio, čak je i moj najveći heroj iz djetinjstva klaun - Joker iz Batmana, i to odmah uz rame s Mad Maxom i Freddy Kreugerom, odrastao sam na takvim filmovima. Stvor stephena Kinga mi je bila omiljena serija na kablovskoj tjekom petog osnovne.

Ali oni klauni iz cirkusa... jebeš mi sve spalio bih te gadove i poslao ravno u pakao u hermetički zatvorenim bačvama ispunjenim sumpornom kiselinom. Možda je to zbog toga što me najviše strah šizofrenije, pa me njihovo ponašanje podsjeća na tu mentalnu bolest. Po svojoj prirodi znam biti vrlo kaotičan i nemam pojma zbog čega mi smetaju, jer je kaotično ponašanje jedna od njihovih osobina.

Prije par godina sam se baš malo pozabavio s tom temom i nisam jedini koji ih shvaća kao vrlo mračne i sablasne spodobe (bolest se inače zove Coulrophobia i odnosi se na sve što je povezano s klaunima), ali koga god da sam pitao zašto, nisam dobio nikakav odgovor. Samo znam da nikada nisam išao u cirkus niti ću ikada ići, jednostavno mi se gade i ti preformansi zajedno s njima.

Mislim, nemam pojma u čemu je štos, obožavam klaunove u horror filmovima, jedni su od najzanimljivijih negativaca, i uvijek ih volim vidjeti na filmu. Ali opet, nikako ne mogu podnjeti ljude maskirane u klaunove. Ova bolest se najčešće javlja kod djece, ali nije baš ni rijetka kod tinejdžera kao ni odraslih. Zabilježeni su slučajevi kada se djeca boje biti u bolničkim prostorijama koje na svojim zidovima imaju njihove slike. Jedan od mogućih uzroka bi bilo neugodno iskustvo s klaunom tjekom ranog djetinjstva, ali ja kao klinac nikada nisam susreo jednog, u životu sam tu priliku imao samo jednom i to kada se otvorio McDonalds u Osijeku, čovjek mi je priša ponuditi letke za besplatnu porciju, na što sam ga sasvim uljudno poslao u pizdu materinu smirenim glasom pred hrpom klinaca na užas roditelja.

Mislim da je to zbilja jedan zanimljiv fenomen. Prije par godina, BBC je vodio istraživanja u svojim anketama i nemate pojma koliko je ljudi zapravo glasovalo protiv emisije s klaunom kao jednim od likova, cijela stvar bi bila sasvim ok da nije riječ o plišanoj lutki.

Ne znam, mislim da je stvar u rasporedu boja ili tako nečem, znaju biti poprilično psihodelični. Također bi volio jednom prošetati ulicama Pariza s poluatomatskom sačmaricom i pobiti sve proklete pantomimičare koje ugledam, jer su i oni jedni od njih.

Sad sam zagazio u offtopic, prilično zaniljiva tema, nisam imao pojma da su klaunovi toliko rasprostranjeni, vrlo edukativno.

Ti bi sve čega se bojiš

Zašto ako nešto ne razumiješ tako reagirati. Neki drugi način??? Profinjenost???

e sad volim klaune i porculanske lutke ali neka mi netko odgovori kako se zove ona lutka ili kaun sta vec koji ima crno-bijelo lice i na bijeloj strani crne suze a na crnoj bijele ??

Hmm, ajd bubnit ću: Pajac? Mislim da je to domaći izraz za bijelog klauna i šiljatom kapom. Još nisam skontao koja je njihova svrha, neki pantomimičari se znaju tako maskirati u crno bijele boje. Mislim da se oni izražavaju samo kroz sarkazam ili čak grotesku, jebiga nisam siguran.