By depicting his clowns with a melancholic tone, the painter reveals their underlying sadness and underscores the tension between personal authenticity and the pressure to conform to social norms.

Similarly, in Bernard Buffet's portrayal of bullfighters, the collective overshadows the individual. Often shown in homogeneous groups, his matadors appear to submit to conformity. Their impassive expressions reflect the pressure not to reveal any divergent emotions, even in the face of an act as extreme as taking a life.