Bluebeard is a chilling and horrific fairy tale.
Part of what makes it so unsettling is its plausibility. Curiosity, trust, temptation, dominance, domestic abuse — the fable weaves all of these themes together. The only touch of magic is the blood on the key that refuses to wash off.
My interpretation of Bluebeard evolved unwittingly. Blue is the complementary colour to orange. Perhaps my anxieties are flirting with the colour wheel, given that, at this moment, orange (a round being with a big mouth) seems to dominate south of the border.
The original drawing came from my "repurposing" pile. I drew the initial portrait during a live model workshop years ago but never felt compelled to finish it. Why I chose to give this man a blue beard is perplexing at first glance but I sense my subconscious has been absorbing the news. Many of us born not long after WWII are carry a deep-seated fear. The world seems poised for a repeat performance of a time when humanity dwelled in the underworld.
Bluebeards reign once again. In 2025 Afghanistan, women live under total repression, forbidden even to laugh out loud, while in the United States, hard-won women’s rights from the sixties and seventies are rapidly eroding. Women are dying of preventable pregnancy complications. Yes, Bluebeards are in power.
And yet, my Bluebeard drawing is not frightening. I could make him more terrifying, but what makes Bluebeards so truly disturbing is their insidious nature. They don’t appear dangerous at first. Their true selves are revealed only as they accumulate power.
I created another work from the “Bluebeard” drawing, once again alternating between traditional and digital techniques. As the drawing progressed, I photographed it and experimented with digital transformations. One result particularly intrigues me: Bluebeard morphs into a distorted, red-faced man. I don't know of any fable about “Redface” so perhaps I should invent one. His redness never fades. Each cruel or petty act makes his face bleed, and like weeping statues or sacred icons, it never stops. Not a cheerful tale but neither is mid-February 2025.
May we find peace, tolerance, and respect before long...or else...
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