Sherrell Tisdale
Professor Harmon
ENG 1021
Visual Analysis Assignment
9/20/2016
Change within the Metamorphosis in Blue by Duy Huynh
People sometimes feel as though they are all alone in a dark world. Or maybe they even try to dress themselves up with things that the world views as being elegant. Well for those individuals that have, I believe they could relate to the woman depicted in Duy Huynh’s’ painting. After analyzing the piece of art entitled Metamorphosis in Blue I came to the conclusion that the overall theme when broken down into one word, is change. To give the viewers a better understanding, imagine a lady with a blue butterfly dress wrapped around her. Her hair is in a low bun with a red rose above her ear, her eyes are closed and she’s looking downward. There’s a crescent moon directly above her and the sky fades from brightest to dullest. Below and behind she is a forest with the body of river reflecting the forest. The purpose of the picture is to portray how people try and hide behind the things that dark world think are beautiful. I have four supporting factors that validate my argument. My first supporting factor is the butterflies; they are a symbol of beauty, gentle nature, and transformation. My second supporting factor is the rose that lies upon the woman’s head in the piece of art. Roses are a symbol of love but are also known to have thorns that can pierce flesh. My next supporting factor which can be seen in the painting is the foggy background congested with shadows symbolizes the dark world and the woman’s dark past that consumes her. My final supporting factor is the moon which stands for the light in a dark world.
Before a butterfly becomes beautiful in the worlds eyes it is viewed as being hideous. A butterfly begins its life as a caterpillar and is perceived to be unfit for this world. So after a while of living in a world that does not accept it as it came into this world, the caterpillar hides in a cocoon until it is acceptable to the eye of the world. The caterpillar not knowing that it was already beautiful in the beginning changes into a butterfly to be accepted by the world, much like the woman displayed in the piece of art illustrated by the artist. The butterflies covering the woman in the picture demonstrates how a woman clothes herself with what the world sees as beauty instead of realizing that her herself is already gorgeous without the butterflies. Butterflies also are a symbol of change, and the woman is basically changing who she is to the world that surrounds her. She wants to be accepted just as the caterpillar does so she covers herself with beauty so she can be considered worthy to live in the world. Nevertheless, at the end of the day beauty is not what the eyes perceive but true beauty is found in the mind.
Past loves and past heartaches that caused the woman to want to change herself or change the world around her. Which brings me to my second supporting factor, as I have said before the rose that lies upon the woman’s head is a symbol of love and in some instances, the rose can be viewed as pain. Now we all know that roses are usually the top sold flowers on national love day Valentine’s Day. Still, you must handle roses with care or you will be introduced to a sharp pain applied by the thorns that the love flower carries along with its beauty. It’s pretty ironic how one flower can be thrown at a wedding and a funeral, but in two instances that one flower has two very different meanings. It only makes sense that the woman has dressed her head with a flower that means love and pain. If you look at the woman’s face you see sorrow and she appears to be in deep thought. With the rose placed at her head, the painting suggests that love and pain are on her mind. Past loves and past heartaches that caused the woman to want to change herself or change the world around her.
The dark background symbolizes the woman’s dark past and the shadows symbolize the world or the people in the world. Leading me to my next supporting factor, which are the foggy background and shadows that are behind the woman. In the picture, the woman looks down and away from the tress that is condensed by heavy fog. She’s looking down as if she’s ashamed of something. People usually turn away from things that they are afraid of or of things that have hurt them. As I have said before if you look at the woman’s face you can see regret or maybe even sadness. The fact that she has her back turned to the shadows convinces me that they are the cause of her painful past. Resulting in her trying to change into what the world wants her to be. The woman seeks change so she can seek the solution to her past problems. The only way out of darkness is to follow the light correct.
The crescent moon that is found in the illustration is my final supporting factor. When night falls all over the world the moon is the only natural light that remains. This to me means that the moon depicts the little light that remains in a cold and dark world. For the woman, the moon symbolizes hope even when she is surrounded by her past heartaches and a dark world. The moon is what allows the woman to see her inner beauty and the beauty that she was brought into this world with. Sometimes a little light gives one an extreme amount of courage to make a change.
In conclusion, the illustrations main theme is changed. A woman that changes her true beauty for the beauty of the world is a woman that conceals her hurt and her pain. The butterfly dress that conceals the woman true beauty is a sign she wants to change. A rose that conceals the pain of a woman’s past buried in her mind. Darkness concealed by dense distant fog and shadows. However, there is the moon that light shines bright enough to change it all. As you look at the painting, you can see that some of the butterflies have begun to fly off of the woman. You will also notice that the woman is embracing her own skin and not the dress of butterflies or the rose cap. This is a strong message that is basically saying that the woman knows her own beauty. Notice I said knows and not sees because in the picture her eyes are closed. True beauty is found in the mind not the eyes.
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