There’s Pain In Beauty

Andrew Meyers

72 x 40″

Screws, oil paint, wood panel, acrylic polyurethane enamel background, frameless.

“There Is Pain In Beauty” is a powerful mixed-media artwork that explores the interplay of resilience, artistry, and sacrifice through a striking juxtaposition of a worn boxing glove and a ballet slipper, meticulously constructed from thousands of industrial screws. The non-traditional use of screws elevates the composition to a raw, tactile intensity and reinforces a dialogue between endurance and fragility.

The boxing glove, rendered in deep, rich browns, symbolizes discipline, perseverance, and the physical toll of battle—whether in the ring or in life itself. Suspended from its laces, it conveys both a moment of rest and the lingering tension of an unfinished fight. In contrast, the ballet slipper, embodies the vulnerability of artistic expression: a universal emblem of creativity, passion, endurance, and vulnerability, which reinforces the sacrifices required in the pursuit of art.

The medium itself—thousands of precisely placed screws—becomes an implicit metaphor for the painstaking process behind both combat and creation. Each individual screw contributes to the larger image, just as every struggle, wound, and note played builds toward a greater whole. The shadow play of the relief effect adds depth and dimension, making the objects appear suspended in space, caught between weight and transcendence.

Ideal for collectors and enthusiasts of conceptual fine art, contemporary mixed-media, and emotionally charged symbolism, “There Is Pain In Beauty” is a bold and thought-provoking statement piece, celebrating the collision of physical and emotional endurance, artistic vulnerability, and the spirit of  human resilience.