Art: Conformed Fairy Tales

• 

  Walt Disney, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
  VS
  Tiziano Vecellio, Morte di Atteone, 1562

Who would have thought to put Snow White, freshly recovered from her harrowing run through the woods and peering out to discover the dwarfs cottage, next to Diana in huntress mode (from Titian's "The Death of Actaeon")? What are your thoughts about this character when you discover Snow White's legs have become those of the goddess, as she is discovering the tragic end of a hunt? When you realize Diana's legs are stepping into a scene of what remains of a man-transformed-to-deer, did the inclusion of the one hiding behind the tree (on Snow's left) suddenly take on a darker tone?

The ideas both conflict and reflect on each other, with your brain encouraging you to try to find a link, since your eye sees the limbs lining up so well. Though Snow White as a hunter isn't quite as foreign an idea as it used to be (thanks to ABC's Once Upon A Time TV series), thinking about Diana and Snow White conforming to each other, creates a new way to look at the fairy tale of Snow White in particular. 

Such an image, once you realize what is happening and the sources of the two halves, is incredibly thought-provoking... (Are we at 1000 words yet?)

There is an Italian Tumblr blog that exclusively posts these split-yet-matched images, of which the Snow White/Diana one at the head of the post is one. Two unlikely pieces of art (often a traditional, or classic work and a modern or pop-cultural piece) are juxtaposed, with the main "flow of action" lining up to create a trick for the eye. 

It's titled "Confórmi [the forms do not belong to anyone]" and specifically adds text to remind us of this definition: "Conform": be similar in form or type; agree.

It's a genius meditation on familiar images. 


Although most fairy tale images used are from Disney movies, the idea of a particular fairy tale versus - or conforming to - a classical painting (or modern installation art), truly makes the viewer look at both pieces of art in a completely new way. 

And, of course, it makes us think of those fairy tales in new ways too...

We could probably muse on any one of these juxtapositions for a while but instead, we'll leave you with the images and whatever thoughts they generate for you, though we'd love you to share any flashes of inspiration and questions they may prompt in the comments!

The two pieces of art used are noted below each picture (in the original Italian text from the Tumblr) so you can identify each of them, in case your curiosity wishes you to wander a little further.

Enjoy your fairy tale art meditation today!

Giotto, Compianto sul Cristo Morto, Cappella degli Scrovegni, Padova, 1303-1035

VS

Walt Disney, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

Sandro Botticelli, Annunciazione di Cestello, 1498-1499
VS
Walt Disney, Cinderella, 1950 

Walt Disney, Sleeping Beauty, 1959
VS
Giotto, Dormitio Virginis, 1312-1314

Giotto, Sermon to the Birds, Legend of St Francis, Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Italy, 1295-1299
VS
Walt Disney, Sleeping Beauty, 1959

Wolfgang Reitherman, The Sword in the Stone, 1963
VS
Eero Saarinen and Harry Bertoia, MIT Chapel, Cambridge | Massachusetts, USA, 1955

Gustave Doré, L’Enfer de Dante Alighieri, 1857
VS
Benjamin Lacombe, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, SOLEIL, 2003

Pirro Ligorio, Orco | Parco dei Mostri, Bomarzo, Italy, 1547
VS
Spreepark, Berlin, Germany, 1969 - 2001

This is the blog, though we warn you, you may wish to set aside a little time before going exploring. There's a lot to see and be delighted, or surprised, or bothered by): 

• confórmi [the forms do not belong to anyone]
 
• www.davidetrabucco.it

https://conformi.tumblr.com/ 

Aussies 'n' Fairy Tales Week: Debra Phillips, Painter of Stories

You may have seen her work recently in conjunction with the AFTS conference, but not known the name of the creative woman behind this new vision of Snow White. Her name is Debra Phillips and she tells stories. But not just with words. She also tells stories with paint.

While she is a writer and is currently involved with an academic study related to storytelling and fairy tales, she also creates stories using paint and often incorporating other media as well. Be it stitching, photography, old maps or her own brushstrokes, there is always a story woven into the work.

A Grimm View of Life series: Three Little Pigs

From Ms. Phillips:

When I paint I tell myself a story about the people in the scenes, the events leading up to the scenes and the qualities of each person within the painting. For me, a painting is a story. Although it is entire in itself, there is always a story before the image and a story after the image.  Decades ago when I painted the series of saints, I also wrote on the back a short story about the life of the saint (either imagined or real). 

A Grimm View of Life series: Goldilocks and porridge

What you see here are some of her intriguing paintings, exploring familiar fairy tales in a new ways, something, she says, is bring influenced by her current academic research and study, with an emphasis on the notion of time experienced in fairy tales and how they can transform to become a distinct narrative about an imagined future.

But that's not all she does.

A Grimm View of Life series: Snow White and rotten to the core

In the past, Ms. Phillips could often be found writing stories for friends by request, often with the purpose of commemorating a specific and special life event (birth, wedding etc). Over time, she began to include water colors, collages or photographs she had created. At some point she added stitching and the concept of her unique brand of hand crafted books was born.

Detail from a mixed-media collage

Story writing has overtaken my self and my life. There is always a tension between the desire to write and the desire to paint. Sometimes the paintings emerge from writing and sometimes the story comes from seeing a theme running through paintings or collage images. 

Fairy story themes are a constant thread running through all the stories. Some fairy stories are obvious and others are hidden in the other themes of the story. All my stories are about the human condition, especially its frailties and it’s complex relationships.

As you can see at the head of the post, Ms. Phillips had the honor of being the cover artist for the AFTS Inaugural Conference program this year. She also attended and, along with everyone else, has been reported as being both delighted and inspired by the papers and presentations of all kinds.Which can only mean one thing: we should be seeing more from Ms. Philips very soon.  

A Grimm View of Life series: Snow White & Rose Red have the wolf at their feet

In the meantime, she has a small website with a few examples of her work HERE, including a fascinating introduction to her current studies with fairytales. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Phillips does next.

"Dark Fairy Tales" Poetry & Light Illumination Show/ "Diamond Tears" Exhibition (both UK)

Coming to Brentford (UK) for one performance on November 28th, 2009 is "Dark Fairy Tales" by the Theatre of Continuous Performance. I haven't been able to find much additional information about this show so I'll just copy the press release here for you:

Writer and director, Anjan Saha teams up with projectionist, Al Livingstone to present a magical enchanted world of Dark Fairytales at Waterman's Art Centre in London Road, Brentford.

Pioneering their self -styled, Theatre of Continuous Performance, where spoken word merges with light illuminations to create mesmerizing images, fairytales of Indian, African and European origin will be presented with a dark twist.

Featuring some of the best literary talents including poets and acclaimed performers Dzifa Benson, El Crisis, Philip Lawder, storyteller, Bhavit Mehta and Blues music guitarist and singer, Robert Hokum, Dark Fairy Tales, gives us a whole new interpretation of the dangers that might befall the unwary this Xmas!

"...Fairytales speak through beasts to explore common experiences - fear of sexual intimacy, terror and violence, injustice, and struggles for survival. The fairytales themselves, growing out of the spoken word, become part of legislating fabric, and by issuing warnings about what happens to kings and princesses, sharks and other beasts who don't keep their promises, reminds us to keep ours." (Marina Warner, writing for The Guardian)

You can book through HERE.

The images in this post are by Verena Paloma Jabs.

From her website:

"Verena creates child-like and seemingly innocent silhouettes of animals and figures, morphed with a digitally created background of imaginary landscapes, naïve wonderlands, and dark dreamscapes. Verena says, "I am fascinated by the innocent imagery of the pictorial illustrations which often accompany fairy-tales, while the narrative itself is often dark and uncanny. Being of English and Russian ancestry, and growing up in Germany before attending school and university in England, I have a keen interest in how different cultures mirror each other's stories and heritage. Living in an era in which advertising and visual media are overpowering our imagination for commercial purposes, fairy-tales as told to children still harbour a sense of humankind's most ancient fantasies, fears, and desires."

Verena has a new exhibition called "Diamond Tears", featuring the artwork shown in this post and more. It opened on November 13, 2009 at the Tatty Devine Brick Lane Gallery space in London. You can find more information about Verena and see more of her lovely work, which covers a wide range of media HERE.

Old-Style Digital Fairy Tale Collages

I recently found these sweet little digital collages on flickr, by Rowan Tree Design.

The theme for this set is myth and fairy tales and uses some lovely old illustrations as the base on which to design the rest. Here's a small selection for you:
You can find the rest HERE. You can see a lots of her other collage HERE with links to a limited selection at her Etsy shop under the profile tab.

Enjoy!