Old King Cole 

Editor: Here we have "Old King Cole," a watercolor painting by Scott Gustafson. It gives off a whimsical, fairytale sort of feeling with a lion wearing a crown blowing bubbles. How would you interpret the artist's choices here? Curator: It is a fascinating orchestration of pictorial elements. Consider first the formal relationships. The artist employs a high degree of saturation in the primary figures, especially King Cole himself, drawing the viewer's eye immediately. The artist also constructs depth through the placement of bubbles of different sizes, but how do you feel the foreground relates to the background? Editor: I notice the colors seem more muted in the distance, kind of fading, which does help create depth, but what do the bubbles signify to you? Curator: The bubbles, formally, function as visual links that guide the eye through the composition. However, a critical investigation may prompt us to contemplate how bubbles, with their inherent transience, engage with themes of ephemerality. What effect might such temporality have on a viewer's understanding? Editor: That's an interesting perspective, how everything’s connected but also fleeting, which you don’t really get at first glance. It does make you think more about what the artist intended. Curator: Precisely. And understanding the relationship between signifier and signified is essential for interpreting such elements. Analyzing color, line, and form leads to deeper inquiry. How does the overall structure lead the eye in "Old King Cole"? Editor: I see what you mean. Focusing on those specific details really opens up a painting! I hadn't considered how the artist uses things like depth or recurring shapes to tell a story before.