A Brave Heart - from Beauty and the Beast 

Curator: I’m drawn to the subtle melancholic beauty of this watercolor and coloured pencil drawing by Edmund Dulac entitled "A Brave Heart - from Beauty and the Beast." It feels infused with both longing and resilience. Editor: It has the quality of a dream, or a memory just out of reach. Look at the way the artist uses light—soft, almost pearlescent— it gives the scene this ethereal, otherworldly quality. Is this figure the Beauty of the title, perhaps contemplating the Beast? Curator: Possibly. Dulac often played with subverting typical depictions of femininity. Observe the almost pensive expression and the subtle suggestion of non-Western garments. There's a sense of interiority, of self-possession that defies her status as a fairytale character in service of another's transformation. Editor: That's astute. The instrument she holds, a lute of sorts, underscores that introspective nature. Music has always been tied to both personal expression and societal expectation; and what song does it play? Perhaps a traditional love ballad reimagined? Curator: I believe there is something beyond pure romantic symbolism happening in this artwork, with its rich symbolic connections to storytelling, but I feel the absence of Beast challenges any readings regarding pure beauty. Instead, the viewer needs to reckon with what a "brave heart" can be as this character is actively defining her sense of agency, in spite of an imbalanced dynamic. Editor: That reading opens up fascinating territory when looking at this tree in the scene, as if watching, its bare limbs somehow mournful and protective. There's a visual echo between its drooping branches and the figure’s bowed head and shoulders that amplifies a certain somber feeling. It is a kind of iconic element, isn’t it? One of solitary grief or maybe watchful patience, but still it plays this iconic motif that draws me in so deeply. Curator: It shows how an image, drawn from the realm of fairytale and folklore, becomes something powerfully relevant today: this need for strength amid complex and challenging power dynamics within the individual versus the collective good. It reflects an evolution of self. Editor: I see it, an awakening spirit indeed; maybe even its symbolism may reflect its enduring relevance through shifting social consciousness. Curator: Yes, and that's what allows this fairytale image to carry such potency, as a brave heart facing the unknown can also mean overcoming fears for yourself. Editor: Indeed, the enduring power of symbol and story combined.