What Is Clown Art?

To understand clown art, we must turn back the clock to the eighteenth century.
Clowns first appeared in circuses in England. After audiences had watched breathtaking acrobatics, red-nosed clowns would take the stage and “clumsily” imitate the stunts just performed—falling off a horse or mishandling the props, for example—to ease the tension. These amusing performances quickly won tremendous applause from audiences and gradually evolved from interludes into main events. It is worth noting that these clown performers were actually highly skilled; many were retired acrobats. They needed exceptional physical control to perform “failure” with such precision.
As the times changed, clowns gradually developed into “Theatrical Clowns” capable of standing on their own. No longer merely comic relief characters, clowns became dramatic roles with depth that could carry universal human emotions.
In the early twentieth century, French theater master Jacques Copeau, in opposition to the exaggerated and affected acting styles prevalent in the theater world at the time, began seeking inspiration in the medieval “Commedia dell’arte” and circus clowns. He discovered that clown performance was full of intuition and curiosity: clowns faced things with the purity of encountering them for the first time and could form an exceptionally genuine connection with the audience.
Later, another French theater master, Jacques Lecoq, carried on this tradition and brought physical theater training to its peak. In his teaching system, actors first had to undergo rigorous training with the “Neutral Mask,” shedding personal habits and using pure physical movement to convey subtle emotions.
For Jacques Lecoq, the ultimate expression of physical performance was the clown.

To truly understand the clown, we must dispel the misconception that “a clown is merely a character.” A clown is actually a “state”: a state of openness, innocence, and extreme sensitivity.
At the Jacques Lecoq theater school, there is a famous saying: “The red nose is the smallest mask in the world.” Ordinary masks are meant to conceal, but the red nose serves to reveal. When actors put on this red nose, they are not playing an invulnerable hero; they are releasing their innermost, purest, most unguarded selves.
In everyday life, we are constantly taught to succeed, be graceful, and conceal clumsiness. It is difficult for all of us to accept our imperfections. But in a society that pursues victory and success, the clown is a symbol of counterculture. At its core, clown art is built on “flops” and failure.
When audiences watch a clown trip over a threshold, hold sheet music upside down, or panic over something trivial, their defenses fall away. The clown proves to us that even if we hit our heads hard or mess things up, it is all right. Forget unrealistic social pressures; as long as we honestly be ourselves, we can find happiness and hope in the most unexpected places. This freedom from social conventions is precisely the most enchanting magic of clown art.

“Who can become a medical clown?” This may be the question most often asked of Ma Chao-chi, founder of Dr. Red Nose.
The answer is: people with a “Simple Mind.” If we had to describe the essence of the clown in one word, it would be “love.”
Clowns have simple, clear minds. They always live in the present and are full of curiosity about the world. In their eyes, whether sick or healthy, a child is a child. They sincerely believe that everyone is their ally; even when teased, they firmly believe they are the best. This is not foolishness, but the ultimate trust in human nature.
In hospitals, clowns are like minstrels in a war zone. Even in the most difficult and saddest moments, they can still find poetry in the darkness, pick a flower from the ground, and sing a gentle song. They do not hide their emotions; instead, they place their most transparent selves before the audience.

【Sources and References】

• 《In-Depth Study of Dr. Red Nose Organization》 (2025 compilation), Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• 《Dr. Red Nose—A Collection of Stories》 (internal hospital ward story records), Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• 《Dr. Red Nose—Statistics on Performance Locations and Frequency, and Number of Performers》 (statistics through February 28, 2026), Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• 《2025 Introduction to Dr. Red Nose》 annual report presentation, Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• 《2025 Seventh Dr. Red Nose Performer Selection Guidelines》, Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• 《Supplementary Information on Dr. Red Nose》 legal and administrative information, Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• Ma Chao-chi (2021), “The Clown Theater You Don’t Know,” Cross-Strait Children’s Literature Journal.
• Ma Chao-chi (2022), “Returning Children’s Right to Play to Children,” The CommonWealth Magazine Independent Commentary.
• Ma Chao-chi (2024), “Laughter Is a Human Right: When We Laugh Together, We Are All in Love.”
• Luc Ducros (2021), “All Actors Need Clown Training—It Helps Actors Liberate Themselves.”
• Luc Ducros, “Why the Clown Belongs in the Hospital” (Pourquoi le clown a sa place à l’hôpital).
• Tseng Ching-wen (2023), “Dr. Red Nose and Drama Therapy: Creating a People-Centered, Friendly Healthcare Environment Through Clown Performance,” Red Nose Care Clowns Association, a civic organization of the Republic of China.
• Wu Wei-wen et al. (2023), “Medical clowning influences the emotions of parents of children undergoing cancer treatment: A quasi-experimental study,” Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
• National Taichung Theater (2021), 《Summer FUN Time Festival Complete Program Guidebook》 (including an introduction to physical theater).