Stuffed Jumbo (fragment) 

Sue Coe painted "Stuffed Jumbo (fragment)" using oil on canvas, creating a composition that initially appears as a carnival scene, yet it unsettles with its dark tonality and grotesque figures. The painting is structured into two distinct registers: a foreground populated by disfigured clowns and anthropomorphic animals, and a blurred, almost ghostly background scene. Coe masterfully manipulates texture and color to disrupt our expectations. Notice how the foreground figures are rendered with thick, impasto brushstrokes, heightening their disturbing realism. The garish costumes of the clowns are juxtaposed with their somber, almost cadaverous faces, creating a jarring dissonance. The animals, dressed as humans, further destabilize the boundary between the natural and artificial, challenging our perception of order and meaning. The unsettling nature of Coe's piece lies in its refusal to offer a stable narrative, and the formal elements create a sense of unease and challenge our conventional readings of beauty and entertainment.