Abdul Hadi El-Gazzar (Egyptian, 1925-1965)

In this painting El-Gazzar distorts a typical scene from a folk circus, much enjoyed by children, where three performers are dressed to resemble a horse and its rider. Two of them wear a horse costume while the third rides them. Here, however, the typical horse mask worn by the front performer resembles the face of a long-haired girl, and the 'horse' seems to be wearing red high-heeled shoes. The rider, meanwhile, has equally long hair and is wearing a clown's suit. The floor and walls are daubed with his typical folk decoration.