The Red Shoes - Color

This is the cover art for Kate Bush's seventh CD which was released in 1993.  In addition to the CD, she created a short film entitled The Line, The Cross, and The Curve.  The film was inspired by the 1948 full-length film of the same title. Both Kate Bush's and the 1948 film were based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale (same title).  The fairy tale is about a dancer who is possessed by her art and then her red shoes take on their own life.  The shoes will not allow her to stop dancing.  Eventually, it drives her insane.  The CD had an amazing variety of high-profile cameos - Prince, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) to name a few.  The title track The Red Shoes tells the story of desire, obsession, and mania. 

I have always been a Kate Bush fan - even though some of her music is odd - so, I purchased this CD as soon as it was released.  I immediately loved the artwork, storytelling, and the music.  The photo of the red shoes is really appealing to me: the shape of the foot, the strength, the satiny, red shoes.   Recently, my daughter and I were listening to my iPod in the car and The Red Shoes shuffled on.  She liked the music and especially the artwork.  To her, the artwork represented a dancer's commitment.  Worn shoes, big holes, and runs in tights are a "badge of honor" at the studio - it means you've worked hard and have been dancing a long time.  After listening to the song, she understood the real idea behind the picture.  Obsession.  Desire.  Insanity.  Many dancers feel these emotions especially when trying to make it professionally. Obsession with body weight.  Obsession with practice.  Obsession with auditions.  Obsession with performance.

I think the artwork is appealing to all audiences.  It is well-unified, balanced, and has a strong focal point.  The circular picture focuses on the shoes.  The shoes are surrounded by a yellow, highly-shadowed, nondescript background - maybe a drop cloth of some kind.   The background color makes the red, satin shoes stand out even more.  The circular picture is enclosed in a black square.  I feel like I am looking through a telescope - focusing solely on the shoes - nothing else to distract.  The white text is a funky (hand-drawn?), all upper-case typeface which curves to the picture at the top and bottom of the photo. This adds to the balance and unity.   

Color...  Red is an emotional, high energy color.  It has been known to increase heart rate, pulse, and respiration rate.  Red is the color of fire and blood.  It is associated with danger, power, determination, passion, desire, and love.  The red shoes in this artwork represent all of these emotional responses: the blood, sweat, and determination that go into dancing; the fiery, passionate emotions that possess dancer; the desire for fame; and finally, the power and danger of the obsession.  The Red Shoes - initially an object of desire - turned into obsession - and eventually into demise.