(Walt Disney Studios, 1959) Original concept painting by Eyvind Earle for Sleeping Beauty, portraying the Princess Aurora asleep in her bed, awaiting the arrival of Prince Phillip to arouse her from her eternal slumber. Unsurprisingly, Earle handles the nocturnal scene with delicate precision, with the resulting work ushering in a profound sense of calmness and quiet. While the bedroom’s surrounding detail should not be overlooked, the greatest attention must be placed upon the central figure of the reposed princess: her brown hair hanging over the bedside; her arms folded and her head topped with a tiara; the long blue sheet extending from bed to checkered floor softly dotted like a starry night sky. Perhaps most significant is the intimacy of character given to this piece; the majority of Earle paintings we receive offer dynamic vistas of fairy tale countryside, with the people pictured therein routinely miniscule and relegated to the background. In contrast is this Princess Aurora masterpiece, an Earle rarity that places the focal point on the film’s namesake. Accomplished in gouache on 19.5 x 9 artist's board, with Earle signing in black paint in the lower right corner. In fine condition, with tack holes to corners. Disney artist Eyvind Earle was Sleeping Beauty's production designer, and Disney gave him a significant amount of freedom in designing the settings and selecting colors for the film. Earle also painted the majority of the backgrounds himself, and his stylistic influence is readily apparent in the final product. Quite possibly the finest portrayal of Sleeping Beauty that we have ever offered.
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