Beauty and the Beast 

Scott Gustafson's painting of Beauty and the Beast creates an intimate scene through a masterful use of composition and color. The foreground is dominated by the soft luminescence of Belle, juxtaposed against the shadowed bulk of the Beast. Light and shadow play dramatically across the figures, highlighting the texture of their garments and features, which adds depth. Gustafson uses the symbolic language of fairy tales, reinterpreting the story through a structural lens. The harp acts as a mediator, a signifier of harmony and connection between two disparate beings. The formal arrangement suggests themes of duality and transformation that are central to the story. Beauty and Beast's positions, with her as the light and him as the dark, work to undermine conventional oppositions, suggesting that beauty and ugliness are not fixed categories but fluid states. Through formal manipulation, Gustafson invites us to reconsider our understanding of these binaries, revealing how art can challenge and redefine traditional narratives.