Sherlock Holmes 

Scott Gustafson created this oil painting, titled "Sherlock Holmes". The painting depicts Sherlock Holmes in a domestic scene and provides a lens through which we can consider the performance of identity within the context of Victorian masculinity. Gustafson’s painting uses the visual language of portraiture to develop a narrative around a fictional character, Sherlock Holmes. This adds another layer to the mythos surrounding the detective. The painting situates Holmes in an interior space, surrounded by props which speak to the construction of identity. The smoking pipe, for example, can be seen as a tool that enhances the cerebral image of Holmes. The presence of his shadow looming behind him suggests how the cultural perception of Holmes dominates his character. The shadow and the man are not the same. It’s a portrayal of how identity is shaped not just by how one sees oneself, but how one is viewed by others.