Beauty and the Beast 

Here we see Erte's rendering of Beauty and the Beast, presenting us with a powerful interplay of contrasting symbols. The beast, cloaked in black, embodies raw, untamed nature, while Beauty radiates purity and ethereal grace, adorned with vibrant plumage reminiscent of an exotic bird. The juxtaposition of beast and bird is not new. In ancient mythologies, the hybridisation of animal and human forms explores the liminal space between instinct and intellect, the earthly and the divine. Think of the Egyptian pantheon, where deities often bore animal heads, symbolising specific traits and powers. Consider how the image of winged creatures, angels, or demons has traversed cultures, signifying spiritual transcendence or fallen states. Beauty’s ornate hairstyle, which recalls the wings of the Egyptian god Thoth, invites us to consider the cyclical return and evolution of symbols. These motifs remind us that the human psyche—an arena where collective memory plays out—seeks reconciliation between our primal nature and our loftiest aspirations, an engagement of subconscious forces on the conscious mind. Erte's work is a testament to the idea that these archetypes are continually resurrected, transformed, and imbued with new meaning as they echo through the corridors of time.