Beauty and the Beast
Original title: Beauty and the Beast
kurzbeschreibung
Thomas Rowlandson's watercolour 'Beauty and the Beast', made between the late 18th and early 19th century, takes up an episode from the fairy tale of the same name. On this landscape-format sheet of 13 x 22.9 cm, a woman in classicising dress meets a kneeling, animal-like figure.
Description
A woman in flowing, antique-inspired robes occupies the foreground; one hand is raised, the other rests against her body. Facing her, a creature with animal features kneels upright, holding a box and apparently offering a chain. Paws and a tail mark the beast, yet its posture seems human. A tree and a figure turning away can be made out in the rear. Grey and beige tones dominate the pastel palette, while light strikes the figures from the front.
Context
The Englishman Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was best known for satirical and caricatural works. In the 18th century the tale 'Beauty and the Beast' enjoyed great popularity, not least thanks to Madame Leprince de Beaumont's French version of 1756. Literary and social subjects often appear in Rowlandson's many watercolours and drawings. Falling in an era when romantic and fantastic material gained increasing weight in the visual arts, this sheet too was created.
Impact
Fairy-tale romance here meets a slightly caricatural exaggeration of the figures. The scene feels calm and almost intimate thanks to the pastel colouring and frontal lighting. Rowlandson's hand gives the fantastic subject something grounded and humorous.
Technique
For his illustrations and caricatures Rowlandson often turned to watercolour on paper, as here. Soft washes and delicate tones could be achieved with this technique, while precise contours arose through fine linework. The small format of the sheet suits the character of his sketches and narrative works.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)