Though Harpo’s clown qualities are evident in the drawing, it is because of the clown inside Harpo that they are there, not because of how Harpo acts in his shows. Salvador Dali was drawing what he saw inside of Harpo, and the clown was part of it. Harpo never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. Just because Harpo was quietly sitting and posing for Dali, doesn’t mean that his true self wasn’t there as well. Dali sensed it inside of Harpo, and was able to pull it out to put in his drawing.
      Finally, the fact that Harpo is just sitting there for Dali tells a lot about his character. Most comedic stars would probably do something zany if they were being drawn for a magazine, but Harpo never tried to be funny; he never felt the need to go for laughs. Rather, he just liked being himself, even if it meant not being funny. But the humor was always a part of Harpo’s life, and it doesn’t take a keen eye like Dali’s to see that.