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The Great British Art Tour: the tears of a clown

It was during her time studying at Académie Julian, in Paris, that Ethel Wright became familiar with Pierrot. Pierrot, the lovelorn peasant, had first appeared in French literature in Molière’s 1665 comedy Dom Juan or the Feast of the Stone, since when he has appeared in countless novels, plays, poems and works of art, giving audiences laughs at his own expense with his constant run-ins with tragedy and hardship.

Pierrot might be a light-hearted, foolish clown but he is also naive, often a victim of unrequited love, and a tragic solitary figure. This is the side of Pierrot we meet in Wright’s Bonjour, Pierrot! He appears boyish and innocent, but we feel the depth of his sorrow through his gaze. Unfazed by the young girl teasing him from the window above, he is absorbed by his own melancholy introspection. His preoccupation is mirrored in the dog chained up alongside him, both Pierrot and the dog sporting trademark black and white.

Related: Portrait of an angry lady: suffragette Christabel Pankhurst goes on display

Wright’s best-known work is her 1909 portrait of suffragette Christabel Pankhurst. Choosing to use Pierrot as a subject for her work could have been a risk – most audiences in England would not have been familiar with the character of Pierrot. And yet she succeeded so fully at capturing his essence that Pierrot’s draw becomes universal. We are invited to understand him, and pity him.

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• You can see more art from Gallery Oldham on Art UK here and find out more on the gallery’s website. Read more about Pierrots in visual art here.

• This series is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, which brings the nation’s art together on one digital platform and tells the stories behind the art. The website shows works by 50,000 artists from more than 3,000 venues including museums, universities and hospitals as well as thousands of public sculptures. Discover the art you own here.