The Female Clown Cha-u-Kao (54×49 cm, 1895, Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Cha-u-Kao is a plump female clown wearing a dark blue tutu adorned with contrasting yellow waist decorations. She appears to have just returned from the stage to the backstage area, exhausted and sitting alone in a corner by the wall. The posture of her upper body, especially her left hand, creates a kind of dynamic rhythm. In his rough brushstrokes and contrasting colors, the artist reveals feelings of pity, while also presenting the lonely and helpless appearance in modern society. In the history of modern painting, from Daumier through Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat to Picasso, we see artists drawing inspiration from the world of the circus. Curiously, however, none of the funny clowns they painted ever had laughter.