Charles Perrault: “Little Red Riding Hood”

Everyone is familiar with the well-known fairy tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. What some may not know is that ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ actually began as a French folk tale that had a completely different, much darker plot than what we’re used to. The story has frequently changed and adapted considerably over the years. The first written version was by wealthy French author, Charles Perrault. He is responsible for laying the foundations for the literacy genre, the fairy tale.

Perrault’s version of “Little Red Riding Hood” (Le Petit Chaperon Rouge) is much more sinister and overtly moralized than later versions. The redness of the hood has been given symbolic significance in several interpretations of the tale, a detail that was originally introduced by Perrault. The red hood has been seen as a tale of sexual maturity where the red hood symbolizes the blood of menstruation, braving the “dark forest” of womanhood. In other versions the wolf is symbolized as a male who could be a lover, seducer or sexual predator.

His version of the story begins with an “attractive, well-bred, young lady” being deceived into giving a wolf she meets in the woods directions to her grandmother’s house. The wolf arrives at the grandmother’s house, eats her and then proceeds to set a trap for Red Riding Hood. She ends up being asked to climb in to bed before getting eaten by the wolf, where the story ends. The wolf emerges the conqueror and there is no happy ending.

Charles Perrault explained the ‘moral’ at the end so that no doubt is left to his intended meaning:

“From this story one learns that children, especially young lasses, pretty, courteous and well-bred, do very wrong to listen to strangers, and it is not an unheard thing if the Wolf is thereby provided with his dinner. I say Wolf, for all wolves are not of the same sort; there is one kind with an amenable disposition – neither noisy, nor hateful, nor angry, but tame, obliging and gentle, following the young maids in the streets, even into their homes. Alas! Who does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such creatures the most dangerous?”

Although this is the presumed original version of the fairy tale, there have been various versions, each with a different ending. Including: Red Riding Hood eating her grandmother and then dying, eating her grandmother then outsmarting the wolf and escaping, or finally Red Riding Hood being rescued by a woodman or even her mother. It’s interesting how the ending has frequently changed throughout history. Originally Red Riding Hood died for listening to a stranger, then she’s shown as the damsel in distress when the woodsman rescues her – suggesting that woman were weak, vulnerable and relied on men in this era. In the version when the mother rescues her it suggests that woman were a lot stronger, powerful and independent. The version we’re all familiar with is the Grimm Brother’s version which is much tamer and has a happy ending. I can’t believe how many different endings there has been as well as all the theories and symbols in the classic tale. I wonder if the ending will change again in the future?

Reference:

Wikipedia Little Red Riding Hood

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood

Wikipedia Charles Perrault

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault

Art Nouveau – Aubrey Beardsley

I was planning on writing a full post about Art Nouveau, however when I started researching various artists from this movement I became really intrigued by Aubrey Beardsley’s unique illustrations. He had such an interesting short life and I love the fact that all his well-known illustrations are black and white and the controversy that surrounds his work. Beardsley is leading figure in the Aesthetic movement and Art Nouveau.

Often recognized as a ‘freak’ by his contemporaries, Aubrey Beardsley broke the mold of 19th century art and his work is seen as revolutionary in the 1890s. From a young age Beardsley was interested in literature and music and this was encouraged by his mother. His father played little part in his upbringing and drank a lot. Aubrey was introverted and unhealthy during his childhood due to Tuberculosis, resulting in him being unable to go to school for two years. His older sister, Mabel was his closest companion and friend. She was the most important person in his life. Despite their closeness, Aubrey never made a portrait of Mabel although there are similarities of her in his later erotic illustrations. They may have even had an incestuous relationship but this was the only ordinary friendship that he managed as he was always aware that he had a name to make.

Beardley worked by candle light, usually in a darkened room. His work was inspired by Japanese art and he was able to create his own original style in a couple of months. He could memorize and pick up a lot from other artists and portray their style in his illustrations very clearly. He began his illustrations in pencil and then went directly over the outlines with pen and ink. Everything he created was impinged on sexuality, which caused extraordinary offense. A lot of his other work was based on dreams and nightmares and his childhood as well as featuring a statuesque and table from the church that he attended when he was a child. There was no spontaneity in his drawings; they were very precise, neat and controlled. I admire this technique of working, the fact that he was confident enough to create his final illustration in pen and ink directly over his initial sketch. After travelling to Paris, Beardsley discovered Toulouse Lautrec’s poster art and Parisian fashion, which were major influences on his own style. Despite stating in one of his letters that “publishers were frightened of anything new and original” he received his first commission ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’ by Thomas Malory one year later.

Le Morte d’Arthur

Le Morte d’Arthur

Aubrey Beardsley spent his whole life drawing and scribbling letters to friends. Although he was arrogantly aware of his own talent he was a great artist in his own right and influenced many other artists and modern design. I believe he was a very talented individual who achieved a lot and caused a mass amount of controversy in his six years of creative output. It would have been interesting to see what he would have illustrated next or if he would have changed and or adapted his style of work if he had lived longer.

Reference:

Tate Aubrey Bearsley Artist Biography

Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/aubrey-beardsley-716

Wikipedia Aubrey Beardsley

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_Beardsley

YouTube Aubrey Beardsley Part 1 & Part 2

Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5naWuIWmpIU

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hym2RWfuPi8

Realism – Edouard Manet: ‘Olympia’

Edouard Manet’s paintings were highly controversial because they displayed raw, everyday life with real people and that’s why I’m such a big fan of Manet’s work. When ‘Olympia’ was first exhibited in the Salon in Paris it shocked and astonished the viewers so much that they had to be restrained to prevent them from ruining it.

Manet based ‘Olympia’ on the oil painting above from, which was the ‘Venus of Urbino’ (1538) by Titan. Even although the French practice suggested that women were to be modeled on historical, mythical or biblical themes at that time, Monet decided to make a replica of the ‘Venus of Urbino’ but replacing her with a non-ideal woman but a real woman, a courtesan. He used strong brush strokes, which was a complete contrast to Titan’s ‘Venus’. I believe he was emphasizing the fact that no woman appears as beautiful, smooth, flawless and statuesque as Titan portrays. The way Olympia and the black cat gazes out at the viewer suggests that she’s confidant and comfortable with who she is and her career. It’s as if we should be the uncomfortable one because the layout of the painting makes us appear to be watching or approaching her.

‘Venus of Urbino’ (1538) by Titan.

In an interesting article from the Guardian, Germaine Greer discusses how artists have always glamourised prostitution, until Manet painted ‘Olympia’:

“When Manet painted his Olympia, he took on the whole tradition of romanticising prostitution. His model is a young woman of the people. Her legs are short; her knee is knobbly; her skin is sallow; the sole of her slipper is worn. The skin of her face is coarser than that of her body, a disjunction marked by the black ribbon that circles her neck.”

The rest of the article:

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/feb/06/manet-olympia-prostitution-courtesan

There was such uproar over Manet’s ‘Olympia’ because the spectators believed he humanized prostitution through displaying her shoes, the flower in her hair. The bold contrast between the darkly painted background and the lightness of Olympia lying on the bed makes sure all eyes are immediately drawn to her. Manet obviously planned this, to make sure that she is the main object and only controversial figure in the composition.

Overall, I really respect and admire Manet for not following the usual style of previous painters, like Titan. He painted real life and people and it was like he was giving past movements and styles the middle finger. I love that he continued to paint his real life compositions despite all of the hate and controversy. I believe we should all take some inspiration from Manet and his determination.

References:

France in the age of Les Miserables Courtesans Olympia

Available: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/courtesans/Manet-olympia.htm

Wikipedia Olympia (Manet)

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia_(Manet)¬

Greer, G. Artists have always glamorised prostitution. Manet savaged all their delusions

Available: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/feb/06/manet-olympia-prostitution-courtesan

Powerpoint from Duncan of Jordanstone lecturer Donna Leishman: Visuality Through the Centures: The role and function of the visual artist

Pre Raphaelite – Sir John Millais: ‘Ophelia’

‘Ophelia’ is one of Millais’s most famous paintings. It’s based on William Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’ and focuses on Ophelia’s final scene when she is lying in a river, singing and gathering flowers while she’s slowly drowning as she is pulled below by the weight of her dress.

Sir John Millais was the first artist to show Ophelia in the process of drowning. The composition s unusual because instead of viewing the painting normally (left to right) we view from right to left – the same direction of the river flow. Millais spent a long time painting the natural elements first as he was determined to make them accurate and precise. Ophelia and the plants on the riverbank are all struggling for survival, however she is doomed to die.

Once the natural elements were completed, Millais hired nineteen-year-old Elizabeth Siddel, who had previously posed for the Pre Raphaelites to lie in a tin bath fully clothed. Oil lamps were placed underneath the bath to keep the water warm but after several hours they went out and the artist was too engrossed with the painting to notice so Siddel continued to lie in the cold water. This was the last time Elizabeth Siddel posed for Millais.

Here’s an interesting website with 10 facts about Sir John Millais’s ‘Ophelia’:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3668050/Ten-things-you-never-knew-about-Ophelia.html

This BBC 4 Pre Raphaelite documentary is full of information about ‘Ophelia’ and other famous paintings during that time:

Even although this is quite a disturbing image, I think it’s been arranged beautifully and I really admire Millais’s attention to intricate details and accuracy. This would have been completely original and unique to the public during the time period. Millais draws the viewer into the painting by gaining our sympathy for Ophelia and I think he deserves a lot of respect and admiration for this alluring piece of work.

Reference:

Telegraph Ten things you never knew about Ophelia

Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3668050/Ten-things-you-never-knew-about-Ophelia.html

YouTube 1/2 The Pre-Raphaelites (Ep2)

Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb79bmJhhaI

Wikipedia Ophelia (painting)

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting)

Tate ‘Ophelia’ Sir John Everett Millais, Bt

Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-ophelia-n01506

Romanticism – Henry Fuseli: ‘The Nightmare’

I vaguely remember lying on my kitchen floor as child with a large “History of Art” book in front of me while I attempted to draw this painting. The demon-like creatures surrounding the woman terrified me and I wondered how she could sleep in such a strange position. That was probably the last time I saw the painting until now. It’s appealing to be viewing it as a young adult and researching as well as discovering the meaning and themes behind it, which I wouldn’t have known or understood as a child. I’ve just discovered that there is three other versions of the painting due to its popularity.

The contrast between the dark background and lightness of the figure is a much more apparent to me now. She appears as if she’s angelic, like a fallen angel? It’s quite similar to heaven and hell. The small, cramped room emphasizes the intrusion of the ‘nightmare’. It’s believed that this painting is based on Fuseli’s love life. The female in the painting is supposed to be a friend’s niece who rejected his marriage proposal. Therefore her position on the bed suggests a sexual violation from the demons and it could also display Fuseli’s revenge against her by the demons taking his place over the girl. This leaves us, the viewer to decide whether she’s actually having a nightmare or twisting with pleasure. Red is a prominent colour tone in the painting, which accentuates eroticism and passion. This emphasizes the fact that the girl is gaining pleasure from the creatures.

In an article from the Independent from 2006, Tom Lubbock analyses ‘The Nightmare’ by discussing the way Fuseli’s arranged the layout of the composition:

“Look at the picture, and watch how you look at it. It may seem upfront enough, with its three prominent characters, a woman and a couple of creatures. And it’s true that these elements are clear(ish) in your field of vision. But you don’t attend to them all at once. Fuseli controls your involvement.

The Nightmare is not a fluent, unfolding composition, where one thing leads smoothly to another. It’s made up of separate incidents, each requiring a distinct act of attention. Move between them, and attention jumps. What’s more, these incidents have an order. The picture arranges things so that you move and jump in sequence. This still image is cunningly and abruptly edited.”

Here is the link for the full article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/fuseli-henry-the-nightmare-1781-797997.html

This narrative image evokes emotion and you can’t avoid feeling uneasy whilst looking at the monstrous creatures. The composition has been cleverly positioned to make sure we get a glimpse of everything in the order that Fuseli wants. I can see why this painting inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and many other Gothic novels and television programs throughout the centuries. This mysterious and controversial painting will always be relatable.

Reference:

Wikipedia The Nightmare

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare

Lubbock, T. Fuseli, Henry: The Nightmare (1781)

Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/fuseli-henry-the-nightmare-1781-797997.html

British Romanticism The Nightmare

Available:http://britishromanticism.wikispaces.com/The+Nightmare

Teachartwiki The Nightmare Henry Fuseli

Available:http://teachartwiki.wikispaces.com/The+Nightmare–Henry+Fuseli

Renaissance – Jan Van Eyck: ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’

This painting was first brought to my attention several years ago, when I noticed that it features in the Desperate Housewives opening sequence. I have always admired the composition and colour palette of this piece. After recently researching this portrait and gaining a better understanding of the objects and layout I have become even more intrigued by it.

The pose of the couple is unusual as it feels as if you’ve just entered the room and this draws you right into the composition. It makes you feel as if you are one of the figures in the mirror behind them. Arnolfini’s right hand is raised as if he is greeting the couple entering the room (you). Although it appears as if his wife is pregnant – as fertility was a crucial quality in a wife during this era, she’s actually just holding up her dress.

The interior of the room radiates the Arnolfini’s wealth. The red bed is thought to suggest the passion in their new marriage and probably wasn’t slept on. It was just a sign of Arnolfini’s high status. As well as the mirror, and oranges, which were rare objects to possess during this period. The couples fur, silk and gold clothes as well as the black stained leather sandals emphasizes their wealth due to trading silk, fabrics, tapestries and other precious objects.

“There is only one certainty. This looks like a real world, with real people. The key to the picture is the mirror on the wall. A mirror is something you look in to comb your hair, to see how you look. It is a portrait machine. This is a convex mirror, which just happens to look like a camera lens. It takes in the whole room, the backs of the man and woman, and two small figures coming in through the door – the people the little dog is looking at and Arnolfini seems to be weakly saluting. Us. The mirror, so significantly placed between the couple, is an image of what this painting claims to be: a true reflection.” – Jonathan Jones, The Guardian.

Jan Van Eyck used oil paints in order to depict the effects of light and paint the gold chandelier realistically. The Latin text above the mirror translates as “Jan Van Eyck was here 1434” which could be his signature of his work. One of the figures in the mirror may even be Van Eyck. I really like these quirky and humorous touches that he’s put in to this painting. Each time you view this portrait you notice something new and begin to question why or what Van Eyck’s trying to display or communicate and I think that’s what makes this painting such a masterpiece.

Reference:

The National Gallery The Arnolfini Portrait

Available: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait

Jones, J. Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck (1434)

Available: http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/apr/15/art

Wikipedia Giovanni Arnolfini

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Arnolfini

Fairy Tales

One of the reasons that I decided to study illustration is because I love stories, in particular fairy tales. No matter how old you are, you can still find yourself escaping reality and getting drawn in to the magical worlds with princes, princesses and mythical creatures. And who doesn’t love a happy ending? The same story could be read to a group of people but each person will imagine the scenes and characters completely differently. Their reading experience and what themes and messages they take from the story will vary and I find that intriguing! Now I find myself re-reading fairytales from my childhood or fictional novels and visualizing how I would illustrate a particular scene or character. Personally, I believe stories are excellent source of inspiration for an illustrator.

In this recent article from The Guardian, Jeanette Winterson emphasizes the importance of fairytales for children and adults by referencing a range of Oscar Wilde’s fairytales.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/16/jeanette-winterson-fairytales-oscar-wilde

Winterson states that:

“Reason and logic are tools for understanding the world. We need a means of understanding ourselves, too. That is what imagination allows.”

“We have all at some point in our lives been the overlooked idiot who finds a way to kill the dragon, win the treasure, marry the princess.”

“As explanations of the world, fairy stories tell us what science and philosophy cannot and need not. There are different ways of knowing.”

I ultimately agree with the importance of fairytales. Whether you’re a child or adult, fairytales unleash your creativity, imagination, allow you to create a fantasy world – filled with enchanted characters or mythical creatures and as cheesy as this may sound… they encourage you to work hard in order to fulfill your dreams.

Reference:

Winterson, J. Why we need fairytales: Jeanette Winterson on Oscar Wilde

Available:  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/16/jeanette-winterson-fairytales-oscar-wilde

Wikipedia Fairy tale

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale

­­

Illuminated Manuscripts

After looking at ancient roman graffiti in my last blog post, I continued to study the evolution of typography and started researching illuminated manuscripts. I’m really interested in the intricate details and complex production of these beautiful books.

An illuminated manuscript is a handwritten document in which the text is enhanced by decorations like initials, borders and miniature illustrations. Illuminating was normally only used for special books like an altar Bible or gospel books as it was a difficult and expensive process. The wealthy often had a richly illuminated “book of hours’ made, which was a collection of prayers suitable for various times in the liturgical day. It was a luxury to have an illuminated manuscript as they exuded richness and power.

The process of illuminating a manuscript: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aDHJu9J10o

Nowadays an illuminated manuscript could be viewed as being cluttered and challenging to read. However I really admire the time, effort and detail that went in to producing these manuscripts. There’s something special about a book being completely hand written and beautifully illustrated. Books are fairly impersonal now. There are millions of copies and every one is exactly the same. Obviously books printed in a simple type so that it can be read with ease but it makes me wonder if we would feel any different reading a book that was handwritten by the author. Would we feel more engaged with the story? Would we enjoy it more than a legibly printed book? I’m assuming it would make us feel special, as there probably wouldn’t be many copies of the book.

It’s incredible how original illuminated manuscripts have lasted for thousands of years and are now seen as a work of art, rather than a reading book.

Reference:

Youtube The Process of Illuminating a Manuscript

Available:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aDHJu9J10o

Wikipedia Illuminated Manuscript

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript­­

Encyclopedia Britannica Illuminated Manuscript

Available: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/283009/illuminated-manuscript

First Signs of Social Networking?

It’s difficult to imagine how people informally communicated with each other before Facebook and instant messaging. However the first signs of social networking actually occurred almost two thousand years ago among the narrow streets of Pompeii, in Italy.

Sections of the Pompeian buildings and graffiti are still in tact despite the harrowing eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. This gives us an insight into the people’s lives and culture of their town at that time. The graffiti the citizens wrote were a range of topics including: love, hate, politics, sex, gladiators, poetry, convictions, as well as a collection of obscenities, declarations, nonsense and random thoughts.

The type is simple and uppercase in a terminal serif. A “Terminal” is the “self-contained finish of a stroke without a serif.” It’s likely that these would have been painted on to the wall with a thin paintbrush.
It’s incredible that these areas of graffiti are technically a very early version of social networking. It’s actually similar to graffiti nowadays or even someone’s Facebook wall.

In chapter six of his book, “Roman Pompeii: Space and Society” author Ray Laurence suggests that a large amount of the graffiti on given streets in Pompeii suggest high levels of activity and passage. He discovered that the streets that had the most graffiti were routes or those that led to gates. These were not only more attractive streets to write upon because graffiti was more likely to be read by more people, but were also more likely to have graffiti because there were more people travelling down these streets.

Here’s a selection of translated graffiti from various parts of Pompeii and it’s neighbouring town, Herculaneum. Several of them are humorous and risqué, whereas others are statements or messages and information for passers by.

http://www.kashgar.com.au/articles/The-Bawdy-Graffiti-of-Pompeii-and-Herculaneum

Reference:

Pompeii on your desktop Graffiti 

Available: http://archaeology.uakron.edu/pompeii_site/Topics/graffiti/graffiti_frameset.html

Wikipedia Pompeii

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii

Kashgar The Bawdty Graffiti of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Available: http://www.kashgar.com.au/articles/The-Bawdy-Graffiti-of-Pompeii-and-Herculaneum

Pareidolia

American astrophysicist, Carl Sagan hypothesized that as a survival technique, human beings are “hard-wired” from birth to identify the human face.

In their first few weeks, babies like looking at faces. If a face is close they’ll focus on it and follow it. By two weeks most babies begin to recognise their parents. After briefly covering pareidolia in a recent lecture, I find it fascinating how we subconsciously see a face in the moon, clouds or even a slice of toast. I’ve found myself searching for facial features in inanimate surroundings. Unsurprisingly we’re able to see a facial form in a number of household appliances, whether the item is small or large.

The dictionary definition of pareidolia is “the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features”

This illustrated image above has three circles and a vertical line, however the majority of observers will view it as a face. Even though it bears no resemblance to a real human face. This makes me wonder if someone who has never had any human interaction, like the fictional character Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book would be able to see human features in the clouds or a slice of toast?

This BBC article talks about various forms of pareidolia, including a woman seeing the face of Jesus Christ on the underside of a lid of marmite and the Virgin Mary on a leaf. It also includes various professional opinions on what pareidolia is. Neuroscientist Sophie Scott believes that pareidolia can be a product of people’s expectations: “Being able to see Jesus’s face in toast is telling you more about what’s happening with your expectations, and how you’re interpreting the world based on your expectations, rather than anything that’s necessarily in the toast.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22686500

Perhaps pareidolia is a form of comfort, like seeing a facial form or humanizing an inanimate object makes it less intimidating and more identifiable. It’s unlikely that we’ll be frightened of a large tree that looks as if it’s smiling at us.

The American Express, faces of change campaign in 2009 is a really unusual and humorous way to use forms of pareidolia. However these adverts successfully manage to evoke our attention and emotion!

50 items that look like faces…
http://www.geekosystem.com/things-that-look-like-faces-pareidolia/

Reference:

Wikipedia Paredolia

Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

BBC News Pareidolia: Why we see faces in hills, the Moon and toasties

Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22686500