The Great Italian Clown Illustrator: Roberto Formigoni

The great Italian circus clown illustrator Roberto Formigoni is from Bescia, in northern Italy. His father worked as a political cartoonist in Rome, until Mussolini forced him to flee the city or face a long jail sentence.

Roberto loves all clowns. He calls Chaplin "the Mime King" and considers Laurel and Hard to be "the Maestros of Mayhem." He is especially drawn to circus clowns in his native country, drawing them frequently for newspapers, magazines, and for sale at art galleries.

Formigoni calls Italian circus clowns "the only people on the Earth today who can save us from the Void." His illustrations on this blog show some of his work illustrating circus programs for Il Circa del Mosca and for the academy La Scuola Del Circo.

 Formigoni once tried his hand at being a circus buffoon. He said that the audience knew he was not in love with them the moment he walked into the ring, and so they wouldn't believe his clowning and refused to applaud him.

He admires the work of American clown artist Jim Howle, calling him "the Norman Rockwell of the big top circus -- he's a worshipper first, and a painter second."

Formigoni says that the Italian Circus is not under any cloud or pressure to change their traditional animal acts.
"All this false publicity about our circuses going under is a black falsehood. Only a sick person would want the Italian circus to fail. Only a sour soul wants to end something that is so fun and beautiful!"