''The Picture'' (french: Le Tableau) is a one-act play written by

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

and first published in '' Viridis Candela'', the journal of the Collège de 'Pataphysique. The first performance was in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

at the

théâtre de la Huchette The Théâtre de la Huchette is a theatre in Paris. This small theatre in Paris' Left Bank, located at 23 rue de la Huchette in the 5th arrondissement, is known for playing Eugène Ionesco's absurdist double-bill of The Lesson and The Bald Sopra ...

in October 1955, directed by Robert Postec and with Pierre Leproux, Pierre Chevallier,

Tsilla Chelton Tsilla Chelton (21 June 1919 – 15 July 2012) was a French actress of theatre and film, famous for playing the main role in 1990 film Tatie Danielle, in which she was nominated for a Cesar award and as an elderly Dominican in Soeur Sourire. B ...

, Maria Murano.

Characters

* Le Gros Monsieur, the fat gentleman * Alice, his sister * Le Peintre, the painter * La Voisine, the neighbor

Plot

Le Gros Monsieur, aka the fat gentleman, is an irresistible, shrewd businessman. Le Peintre, aka The Painter, wants to sell him his painting. Initially, he wants 500,000 francs for it but in the end, the fat gentleman so savagely criticizes the painting, when he finally looks at it, that the Le Peintre agrees to pay the fat gentleman to store his painting. Alice, an old, ugly, and ill woman, is asked by her brother to lend him a hand. After the painter leaves, the brother-sister relationship is reversed and the meek creature becomes authoritarian and demanding, threatening her brother with her walking-stick. The fat gentleman obeys her but, when she is not looking, he grabs a gun and shoots. A miracle happens: Alice transforms into a beautiful maid. The old and ugly neighbor comes in, and she becomes beautiful too. The painter then comes back and turns into Prince Charming. The fat gentleman is the only one who remains fat and ugly, so he asks the audience to shoot him.

Analysis

The play is subheaded ''Guignolade'', that is a

Guignol Guignol () is the main character in a French puppet show which has come to bear his name. It represents the workers in the silk industry of France. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve ha ...

play, and

insists that it be played by

Clowns A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in t ...

in the most excessive, idiotic way. The characters shall not have any psychological depth, and the social content is merely accidental. According to the playwright, only extreme childish simplification can reveal the meaning of this

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

, and it can become plausible when it is most improbable and idiotic. Idiocy can be such a revealing simplification for Ionesco. The author's emphasis on the word "idiocy" is rather puzzling, but the contrast between the aesthetic and the utilitarian in the play is noteworthy, and as a classical theme, it seems to guarantee this humble play's lasting relevance. {{DEFAULTSORT:Picture, The Plays by Eugène Ionesco 1955 plays French plays