#chiselias

When I was working on this painting, I was inspired by Warwick Goble's illustration of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast." Warwick Goble is a British illustrator, known primarily for his fairy-tale stories. His illustrated book of fairy tales would not be complete without the myth of Beauty and the Beast. But why does this myth attract us so much, like a bright and mysterious flower in a dark forest?

There are much more similarities between the fairy tale we know and the plot of the anime "The ancient Magu's Bride" than it seems at first glance. The images of Beauty and the Beast are easily recognizable in the main characters of the film, but the anime's similarity to the fairy tale is evident not only in their appearance, but also in their relationship. The painting by Warwick Goble depicts an episode in which a Beauty, after spending too much time with her father, returns to the monster and finds him lying on the ground, the monster dies of despair: he did not think that Beauty would return to him. We see a similar scene in the ninth episode of the film, when Chise and Ruth, her familiar, search for Elias throughout the forest, and eventually find him in a dark swamp. But why is Elias leaving Chise? What is the reason for his desire to hide and leave?

Before Elias disappears into the woods, a completely different scene takes place, which everyone who has ever analyzed the plot of this anime likes to keep silent about. After turning into a monster, it is difficult for Elias to return to human form, he locks himself in his bedroom and does not let anyone in, communicating with the servants through the door. Chise decides to overcome her fear and open this door, she is worried about Elias and wants to find out why he is hiding from her. (The door is an artistic detail that refers us to another fairy tale about Bluebeard). Breaking the prohibition and opening the door, the heroine saw Elias the way he did not want to show himself: a creature with the appearance of a beast, wild and vulnerable. Despite her fright, Chise stays with Elias overnight to help him calm down.

In the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast," the main character is afraid of a monster not only because she considers it dangerous and capable of harm. The bestial appearance of a Monster, as Gustav Jung said in his book "Man and his Symbols", is inherently erotic, fearing a monster, a Beauty subconsciously rejects her secret desire, does not accept her sexual nature. It is not possible to achieve full acceptance, true caring towards oneself and another person, without accepting one's own sensuality and the sensuality of another. Therefore, the Beauty overcomes herself and comforts the dying monster, completely forgetting that his appearance once seemed terrible to her. And it is this acceptance that brings the monster back to life. In the scene I described, Chise overcomes the same contradiction as the beauty, which is why this scene seems so mysterious and attractive to the viewer, despite the fact that Elias' passion for Chise is only briefly shown to us.

Upon waking up, Chise remembers what happened, but that doesn't stop her from looking for Elias. She finds him lying in a swamp, in the very heart of the forest, where Elias has taken refuge from prying eyes. (The swamp is also a symbol, like the door, it represents a safe haven from contradictions. I built the composition of the drawing in such a way that the swamp seemed hidden from the whole world). Chise wants to know why Elias left so suddenly, and he answers her questions by saying, "I haven't told anyone about myself in a very long time. Give me time to collect my thoughts." He admits that the real reason for his departure was the fear of his own vulnerability. Elias is afraid of being loved. The Beast, just like Elias, has to get into a vulnerable position in order to let the Beauty go to her father, because she might not return. But the Beast gives the beauty the opportunity to choose, the right to make an independent decision to return to him of her own free will. The same situation happens with Elias: no one forced Chise to look for Elias, she comes to him at will.