ART: You Disgust Me

Beautifully done and very expressive!

I think you've left quite a bit to be interpreted and I love that.

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Dearest, dearest Artist, you have outdone yourself. The combination of black-and-white and Gryffindor/Slytherin coloured panels, of Dumbledore's indelible, unforgivable, branding, shockingly personal words to Snape, so fittingly conveyed in explosive, negative fits of ink and set in contrast to the handwritten, self-directed relayed message of the final panel -- well it is so brilliant that I find myself at a loss for words.

I shall attempt to begin with the first panel. God. Severus' nakedness and relatively frontal pose draw the viewer's gaze at once. He is beautiful and grotesque in his emaciation and blankness and in his own peculiar geometry of light and shadow. At first glance it is difficult to establish his expression. Perhaps he is occluding, I thought. Or worse, remembering. I was almost inclined to pick up a sense of self-disgust on his own part -- his tightened jaw, his slightly averted gaze and the fact that he keeps his back to the mirror would seem to suggest this, as though seeing himself, so stripped (by Albus' words) and gaunt, mirrored in the absolute squalor of his surroundings would reinforce their truth. And yet, in contrast to panels three and four, whose importance is underscored by their skewed and elongated length, Severus' in his excoriated vulnerability suddenly gains a kind of dignity. The contrast to Albus is so instructive, Albus, who clearly avoids looking into the mirror, whose face remains averted and shamefully downcast. Severus does not avoid the mirror; he is not interested in seeing himself or the past (the bathroom that could just be Spinner's End, the outbrushed toothbrush!), but rather something outside of his own frame, something perhaps only the viewer is aware of, something perhaps locked inside himself, something that one might call his future purpose, perhaps, a purpose that may have been spurred on by Albus' disgust. That dignity, that ability to appear unflinchingly naked before whatever lies beyond, before whatever words might strike him, no matter the circumstances he is surrounded by, is extraordinary, especially when placed next to the hillside scene from canon (so exquisitely rendered, almost reminiscent of a woodcut, with a fascinating bird's eye perspective that highlights the imbalance and volatility and harshness of the scene, while also establishing the connection between the panels, perhaps the shared thought of both panels). It suggests an internal growth from the second to the first panel, and perhaps this is what comes to endear him so to Dumbledore.

That hand -- already blackened by the Gaunt ring? -- so convulsive, desperate, disgusted and disgusting as it grips the sink as though for some kind of anchorage. Putting "disgust" and "me" on Albus' side of the equation tips the balance of the scales in an unexpected and wonderful way, in a way I find absolutely plausible and delicious.

In short, dearest, this is stunning, a punch to the gut in the best of ways, a glorious, thought-provoking achievement.

Beautifully done! I love your use of color here! Very dysfunctional too! :)

Beautifully done. Such fabulous use of colours (and such a striking absence of colour in the middle panel). And the grime of arguably Spinner's End, but certainly Snape's place, opposed to the luxury of the Gryffindor-tiles and the mirror.

The hand - every detail is great. And so much left over for interpretation. A most intriguing work, and one to which I'll return.

Wonderfully done: haunting images, GREAT execution and composition! I can't decide if I love the black & white or the coloured ones best....

Such a wonderful evocation of this scene! Fantastic work.

Very beautiful! I love that blackandwhite panel with the stark contrasts!

Wow, this is amazing! Great use of color and black-and-white. Love the contrast of Snape's bleak surroundings and the luxury in Dumbledore's quarters. And the middle panel is wonderfully dramatic.

Your Snape is fantastic! I love how emaciated he is and that he can't stand his own sight. And Dumbledore's rotten hand with the Horcrux. The question who is more disgusting here.

Absolutely brilliant!

Ouch. Talking about dysfunctional feelings here...

Very expressive and sad.

Very powerful, and beautiful in its bleakness. Great work!

WOW. This says SO MUCH about what is, in my mind, the ultimate dysfunctional relationship in HP (even if I read it as 'albus, severus' instead of 'albus/severus'). The setup of sameness and difference is just excellent. Contrasting Severus and Albus: naked (robes hanging on the dingy wall), fully covered; a real examination of self, an avoidance of the mirror entirely; an overt kind of unhealthiness (so thin, gaunt, tired), the appearance of health (the notorious black hand, excepted); the dilapidated and ramshackle surroundings of Spinner's End (love the toothbrush!), the gilded tiles and sink of the Headmaster's suite. And the central panel, set in a monochromatic wasteland of brambles (in the Forbidden Forest?), with Severus prostrate before Albus, begging, pleading, defeated? Albus' anger and indignation as he spews out some of my least favourite words in all of HP (only trumped by that final sentence). Incidentally, I love the energy of the robes and Dumbledore's hair in the wind - wonderful. And the choice of MIRRORS, one that we see and one that we don't - brilliant.

And it's the mirror that's the real problem, isn't it? Albus sees himself in Severus, reads his own failings onto the young man before him - even when Severus has chosen a different path and it's clear than Albus isn't free from temptation. And yet Albus has the appearance of all that is good and moral and right while Severus has the appearance of all that is wrong. It's so clear here that Albus is disgusted with himself. I would hope so - the fact that he can say both 'you disgust me' and whatever it was about saving an old man from embarrassment is still shocking to me... (Embarrassment? Embarrassment, really? It's embarrassment and not deep, personal shame over the fact that even after all you've seen and done, Albus, you still aren't free from the desire to harness power through the stone?) My question is this: what does Severus see in Albus' actions?

This is brilliant - beautiful and horrible. Thank you for sharing it.

Powerfully done, devastatingly bleak and raw.

This is so forceful and mesmerizing. A glimpse into the passions that get tamped down in the line of duty.

Very powerful imagery. Sad and beautiful and tragic ♥

This is absolutely fantastic. I love the anger on Dumbledore's face! And in the first frame I love how blank Severus appears. Well done, darling, well done!

What a wonderful style. Very powerful and expressive.

OMG AMAZING!!! I love the panel in black and white - the past. Severus' emotions - his desperation - is so clear.

These images are the perfect embodiment of both this fest and the Snape/Dumbledore ship. I'm so impressed that there are no words to adequately express my appreciation of a work so brilliant.

Stunning and painful.

Stunning. I love the blue cast to the colours in the first panel with Severus, his bony body, and wonderfully-rendered face. The greyscale for the second panel is incredibly effective, as well; their posing is divine (especially with the wind at Albus' robes and hair, and at Severus' cloak). Albus' expression is so severe; it's interesting to see that other side of him drawn out. I love that the third/fourth panel brings back colour, with more reds and golds for Albus. His hand, with the darkening and the ring, are incredibly well done; the tension in his grip is clear. I love the complexity of his expression in the final section, too.

Extraordinary piece!

This is gorgeous! I loved the art and how open to interpretation the story is. Wonderful job.

This is just beautiful. I love the colourful panels and their contrast with the stark black and white of the centre, the sense of emotion and the way it leaves plenty up to interpretation. Just wonderful