The Killer Clown

Paper Summary:

John Wayne Gacy raped and murdered 33 young men and boys in a quiet suburb of Chicago between January, 1972, and December, 1978. This paper discusses how in prison he took up the hobby of oil painting with most of his subjects in paintings being clowns and Disney characters. It focuses on his painting "Skull Clown" and how it can be considered a well-composed and disturbing piece of prison art that conveys Gacy's self-concept and rouses anger in the viewer.

From the Paper:

"The composition of Gacy's "Skull Clown" is striking. Composition is the placement or arrangement of elements within artwork, and is generally used to communicate ideas or feelings within a viewer (Denys). The chosen subject of a clown indicates that this painting represents Gacy himself. Positioning the clown in the focal point of the work shows that the subject is the center of attention, and the use of a nearly all black background suggests that he is alone. Gacy's use of bright colors on the clown's hat and collar represent his desire to be happy. The overall composition of "Skull Clown" is good, but the painting is very unsettling. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, Ronald B., Russell F. Proctor, and Neil Towne. Looking Out Looking In. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2005.
• Bell, Rachael. "John Wayne Gacy." The Crime Library. 2006. Court Television Network. 14 April 2006 <http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/gacy/gacy_1.html>.
• Denys, Damon. "An Introduction to Composition in Painting." Quent Cordair Fine Art. 2000. 15 April 2006 < http://www.cordair.com/denys/essays/index.htm>
• "John Wayne Gacy." Wikipedia. April 2006. 15 April 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ John_Wayne_Gacy>

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