When Beyoncé dropped her eponymous LP in 2013; one of the many talking points was the 17 videos that accompanied the sonic compilation. As the hype of the visual album subsided, Mine was one of the productions that truly stood out on the merits of its aesthetic quality. A year later the stunning visual is available for all to view on her Vevo channel.

A collaboration with Belgian Director and Visual Artist Pierre Debusschere (also behind Ghost), the duo deliver a contemporary gem. Opening with a striking depiction of Beyoncé as a saint like figure akin to a modern Virgin Mary, her eyes blank as she sings into the distance as if her soul a victim of a recent theft, the lyrics implying a mind full of doubts. Cradled between her legs is a paper white figure appearing vulnerable and weak, perhaps an apparition of Beyoncé’s aforementioned soul. Dancers flail in the backdrop with ample slow motion in toe to capture their light garments suspended in air, together with their cropped blonde wigs they give off an impression of baroque angels: These various elements combine to create a brilliant frame that could double as a fine painting.

The second act sees the tempo heightened, the scale too. Rapturous explosions spark off in a desert setting, a troupe of dancers stand off, pulsing with aggression. A masculine clan duet with a feminine equivalent and leading both sides: the white apparition. Editor Richard Mettle cuts these sequences to match the minimal beat with slick execution, with jump cuts in the edit creating a form of choreography in itself. Couples grope each other besides crashing waves and along the water surface, their faces shrouded by “Yours” and “Mine” labeled veils. A reference to a René Magritte’s painting entitled The Lovers.