He Dropped the Rose - from Beauty and the Beast 

Edmund Dulac created this illustration from Beauty and the Beast, capturing a moment of high drama in the tale. The composition is strikingly divided: the looming, grotesque Beast on the left, and the supplicant figure kneeling on the right. Dulac plays with the scale and spatial relationship between the two figures to enhance the emotional tension. Notice how the rose, the symbolic object, lies discarded between them, its delicate form contrasting with the rough texture of the ground. The subdued color palette, dominated by earthy tones, creates a sense of foreboding. This is punctuated by the bright red slippers and the fallen roses. Dulac uses these visual elements to destabilize traditional notions of beauty and monstrosity. He asks us to consider what these values truly represent. The formal qualities of Dulac's illustration encourage an ongoing, evolving understanding of narrative, symbolism, and representation.