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| Author | Comment |
| Charles Vess Unregistered User (9/7/01 10:00:55 am) |
Sulamith Wulfing and
modern fairy tale art
I recently purchased a extensive art book on the wonderful German painter Sulamith Wulfing containing hundreds of color and b/w images, photographs of the artist at all stages of her life as well as many, many quotes about her philosophy of art and life. She was a remarkable woman and artist. Born in 1901 and in her long lifetime (she died in 1988) lived through both of the world wars, was interrogated by both the Nazis and the allies, suffered personal lose yet still retained her uplifting philosophy of the soul with which she infused all of her work. If you aren't familiar with her work use this link (www.bpib.com/wulfing.htm ) However be advised that the samples shown represent her more child-like images and not her "soul" art that she is most well known for. A few weeks ago a vister asked me, "What about the younger generation of fantasy artists? What is their work like?" I've been thinking about that ever since. There seems to be three major threads of art that are the principal building blocks to the fantasy or fairy tale artists working today. The first and most commercialy prevelant, would have to be those artists building from the early 20th Century book illustrators (Pyle, Wyeth, Parrish,etc.) through the pulp artists of the 40's and 50's (Finlay, Cartier, Freas, etc.) up past Krenkle and Frazetta till we arrive at the major SF and Fantasy book cover painters of today (Whelan, Guerney, Maitz,etc). The second would have it's basis in the Victorian Romantic/Fairy artists, the Pre-Raphaelites, the English turn of the last century illustrators (Rackham, Dulac, Nielsen, etc.) and so on till we reach the major influence on fairy painters today, Brian Froud. The third wave of "fantasy" artists is what excites me the most. I feel that Sulamith Wulfing as well as the symbolist artists who's imagery was very prevalent in the early 1900's art world is the source for this third direction. Freud, Jung and the massive horror of the first World War drove many philosophers, writers and artists to delve into their own psyches in the search for truth and in the case of the artists relevant, personal subject matter to paint. These artists were pluming their subconscious for visionary ways of representing their innermost thoughts. The art that was produced wasn't tied to any prose concerning a specific fairy tale or myth but certainly retains the feel of fantasy art. They seemed to be making up their own personal mythologies using those fairy tales and myths that we have all grown up with as a source material, as a jumping off point. No specific artists using this "new" thread of art comes to mind when I think of the 40's or the 50's (but I feel that there must be some, help!) However come the sixties with it's experimentation with drugs, the immense interest in personal enlightenment via alternative religions and the back to nature movement the arts were once again concerning themselves with painting the "soul" on canvas. I see a definite link between the work of Wulfing and that of Susan Sedon Boulett who came out of this heady late 60's early 70's mix of pychodelica and as her work began to affect more and more people all over the world it became a very visible signpost pointing the way for many artist to explore their own personal mythologies on paper. Most of the artists that I see working in this manner today are woman (Melissa Harris, Rachael Clearfield, Penny Yrigoyen, Linda Ross Larsen, Mara Friedman, etc) who are doing personal imagery (with quite a lot of it concerning the mother goddess) from many cultures. Their work is not appearing in children's picture books or as book cover art but on postcards, on calendars, or posters mostly sold in those sort of new agey shops smelling of strong incense. Indeed, there are two local (to me) women artists, Elizabeth Johns and Robin Mullins who's work I find visually compelling that belong to this group. As does this board's own Terri Windling. I find this type of work exciting and challenging. Long may it continue. Charles |
| Gregor9 Registered User (9/7/01 11:43:53 am) |
Re: Sulamith Wulfing
and modern fairy tale art
Charles, I have one slight collection of her work, that Ballantine brought out years back (in the 70s?) as part of a series of illustrators' books they did. It's all I've seen of her work, but her work is phenomenal. Greg |
| tlchang37 Registered User (9/7/01 10:15:18 pm) |
Re: Sulamith Wulfing
and modern fairy tale art
Charles, Could you post the name of the Wulfing book you just aquired? I keep seeing smaller books of her work and would love to have something a little more comprehensive. (I recently purchased a retrospective of Susan Seddon Boulet's work which I adore). I enjoyed your post and am drawn to the 'symbolist' type of fantasy art you are describing. I'm not familiar with many of the artists in that last category - at least by name. I DO happen to shop in incense-rife new-agey stores and buy cards and artwork there. Many of them here carry local artists who do similar work - Deborah Koff-Chapin, Helen Nelson-Reed, Tanya Hill, Joanna Powell Colbert, (well, she might be another category) etc... All women again. Why do you suppose that is? They all have websites where you can see at least some of of their work. I would assume many of the contemporary artists you name have ones too?... I have, of course, seen Terri's, which is lovely. Mmmmm. I really like this topic. Does anyone else have this type of artwork/artist to recommend? (and sources to view their work?) Tara |
| Terri Registered User (9/8/01 12:27:35 am) |
Re: Sulamith Wulfing
and modern fairy tale art
Charles, you have really hit the nail on the head. I think there's some overlap between the second and third groups, the Pre-Raphaelite/Victorian Fairy Painting group and the Symbolist/Visionary group (most of the women I know working in the Symbolist/Visionary tradition are also big fans of the Pre-Raphs and the Golden Age fairy painters), yet there are enough differences too to justify the creation of a third catagory. It's interesting that historically the first group, the Heroic mode (Pyle - Frazetta - Whelan) is largely (yet not entirely) American in its roots; the second group is largely (not entirely) English in its roots; the third group is largely (not entirely) Continental in its roots--even though it includes the Glassgow "Spook" school, since they were looking more toward Vienna than London, and were far more accepted on the Continent than at home. (Not that England is considered "home" by most Scots anyway. <g>) In your Symbolist/Visionary tradition, I'd include not only the obvious Symbolists (Klimdt, Khnopf, von Stuck, and that lot), but also Odilon Redon in France; the Macdonald sisters and a few others in the Glasgow school; some (not all) of the women surrealists who were genuine fantasists (using magical symbolism in their art not just as an intellectual exercise but as an expression of a personal magical belief system) like Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington; and more recently, in addition to the women artists whose work is most often found in New Age shops, there are "respectable" gallery artists who use fairy tale & mythic imagery as a form of personal symbolism, such as Paula Rego, or Jaqueline Morreau in her "Cupid & Psyche" series. Other contemporary artists in this vein include Erica Swadley (whose work can be found at www.endicott-studio.com/galerica.html), and some of Wendy Froud's work falls into this catagory, particularly her large sculptures, and the sensual, semi-erotic one-of-a-kind dolls she used to show at CFM Gallery in New York, although her best known work is more in the Pre-Raph/Victorian Fairy Tale tradition. And I agree that my own work can be put into this catagory, even though I'm certainly also influenced by the Pre-Raphs, Nielsen, Rackham, etc. I'm not sure where Adrienne Segur fits in, since we know so little about her and her approach to her art. Certainly the work we know of hers illustrated specific fairy tales and thus falls into the second catagory, but it's also possible that she was aware of Wulfing's work and had more of a Wulfing approach to her own... if only we knew more about her! I adore Wulfing, and admire much, if not quite all, of Susan Seddon Boulet's work, but I don't (to my chagrin) know the other artists Charles names. Does anyone here know where some of these other women's work can be found on the web, perhaps? It's interesting that the artists who immediately come to mind working in the Symbolist/Visionary tradition today are women. What about Visionary men? Mark Wagner is one. (His work can be seen at: www.endicott-studio.com/galdesrt.html.) And I can think of a few bad examples of the ultra-New-Age variety, like that guy who was immensely popular some years back for pastel-colored airbrushed visionary landscapes (somebody Williams?). Any other good examples of Visionary men? Most of the contemporary male artists whose work I admire (Froud, Lee, Canty, Gould, Dennis Nolan, various children's book illustrators, and of course you, Charles) fall more squarely into the Pre-Raphaelite/Golden Age Illustration/Victiorian Fairy Painting tradition. Or fall into the interstitial area between that catagory and the Heroic mode, like Kaluta and Jeffrey Jones. This topic is very timely, as I'm putting together a show of Marja Lee Kruyt's work for the next edition of the Endicott web site. She's most definitely a Symbolist/Visionary painter, strongly influenced by both Shulamith Wulfing and Klimdt. She was born and raised in the Netherlands, trained as an artist in Amsterdam, then married an English artist (Alan Lee) and, in the age-old tradition, spent her time raising children, keeping house and providing emotional and practical support for an extremely talented husband, while her own work went by the wayside. In the few years since she's chosen to be on her own again, art has been bursting out of her, exquisitely beautiful paintings with such a fine degree of technical skill that you'd think she'd been painting all along. I'm looking forward to putting this show up on the web site. You can see a *very badly reproduced* example of Marja's work at: www.endicott-studio.com/dartmoor.html-- but keep in mind that all the delicacy of her fine pencil work is completely lost in this reproduction. Her watercolors and fine pencil lines are extremely difficult to scan properly. But we're doing our best to provide better examples of her GORGEOUS work for this upcoming show. Charles, would you be willing to give us a paragraph or two (like the one above) about this kind of art and its historical roots to include with Marja's show? Here's another thought, Charles. The "Good Goddess" exhibits that Karen curates in Virginia [Karen is Charles's wife] must bring her into contact with a number of contemporary Symbolist/Visionary artists. Might she, or the two of you, be interested in putting together a small web exhibit of this kind of art for a future edition (next spring, perhaps) of the Endicott Studio web site? The logistics are very simple compared to actual exhibits -- there's no gallery space to find, no transportation problems, no insurance costs, etc. etc.! All it requires is to gather and send us scanned copies of any work to be included, along with a little bit of text on the subject written by either or both of you. Our designers, the wonderful team of Richard and Mardelle Kunz, would take it from there. Interested? By the way, Tara, have you got samples your work up on the web yet? Edited by: Terri at: 9/8/01 2:42:36 am |
| Charles Vess Unregistered User (9/8/01 5:39:07 pm) |
Wulfing and the modern
"fantacists".
Well I certainly hope I don't let so many spelling mistakes into this post... Tara, the title of the book on Wulfing is just SULAMITH WULFING by Marlene Maurhoff, published by the Sulamith Wulfing BV, the publishing company in Amsterdam in 1991.It is oversized, about 200 pages in length and as I said VERY comprehensive in its detailing of the life of the artist. I found my copy at Bud Plant Illustrated Books (www.bpib.com) for $350.00. Quite a bit of money but I had just sold a painting for a conciderable amount and decided to treat myself to this treasure. They DO have a second copy. The book states that in Germany in the small town of Wuppertal her house is preserved as a small museum, filled with her books, her tapestry, and her art. I'd like to visit sometime... Terri, I feel certain that there is a direct conection from Wulfing to Adrienne Segur. A friend of my just loaned me copies of Segur's work (THE FAIRY TALE BOOK, 1958, and THE SNOW QUEEN AND OTHER TALES, 1961) and I seem to see many similarities of drawing and use of ornamentation, especially in the b/w work. Have you thought of contacting Jim Vadeboncoeur at B.P Illustrated Books about information concerning her? He is VERY knowledgeable about many, many illustrators. If there is a way to display their images I would be willing to scan in work by several of the artists that I spoke of for everyone on the board to see. It does seem crazy to be having a discussion on art and not to be able to see the work talked about. There is always a great deal of the blurring of categories within an individual artist's work. For instance I have seen, what I would term "visionary" pieces from N.C. Wyeth, but they are an aberation to his usual style not a direction he was actively seeking. A body of art by any particular artists is always very difficult to catergorize. I know that early in my carrer I was quite enamored of Parrish, Pyle and Wyeth (although was never able to gather much enthusiasm for the "true" pulp artists). Frazetta at that time was an art god. Then I discovered Rackham and the English school of fairy artists and began a long slow evolution away from those early favorites. Their robust adventure style began to appeal to me less and less as the years go by. I can remember looking at a book on Wulfing in the early 70's and thinking that there wasn't enough color or action for my tastes. Now, of course I am filled with wonder and delight by her work. I am glad that I have evolved as an artist as I have evolved as a person. I still feel that I have a lot to learn but I am happy to make the journey forward into, hopefully, "new" lands. It really makes me sad to see a fellow artist reach a creative deadend. There are popular artists today that I look at and see not a speck of change in their work in the last twenty years and that seems unbelievable to me!! I look forward with great anticipation to the gallery on Marja. Please tell her hello from me. And I will now have to look up the work of Lenora Carrington. I have seen only one or two pieces and those in the movie on her with Emma Thompson.I have to admit that it was such a dreary movie that I was never driven to find out more about her or her art. A GOOD GODDESS on line exhibition sounds very intriquing. I will have to run it by Karen and see what she says as she is the "goddess" behind this effort. You've given me much to think on, thanks. Charles |
| janeyolen Unregistered User (9/8/01 11:13:21 pm) |
Opinions
I have alway been a fan of Wulfing and Segur but never much like Boulet, thinking it too slick in both conception and design. Interesting other folk who mostly work in children's books include Jane Dyer, Lauren Mills (Dennis Nolan's wife), Ruth Sanderson, Gary Lippincott. Decidedly second tier next to Wulfing, but wonderful in their own rights. Oh, and Angela (lost her last name, an English children's book illustratormwho does wonderful fairy tale illos.) Do you know Stephen Mackey's work? He did my FAIRIES RING book. A bit of an English recluse I understand. I own a piece from that book. Jane |
| Terri Registered User (9/8/01 11:22:37 pm) |
Re: Wulfing and the modern
"fantacists".
Charles: Leonora Carrington, the surrealist, is a different artist from Carrington, the Bloomsbury painter. I like them both, but the Bloomsbury Carrington was by no means a Visionary painter (although her life was a *lot* more interesting than that dreary, dreary movie portrayed. I usually love Emma Thompson, but she was sadly miscast. Between her acting and a dismal script, the mischievous, head-strong, seductive, complicated Carrington was suddenly turned into a dropping idiot in a Little Dutch Boy haircut. Ridiculous! The Michael Holroyd biography of Lytton Strachey, on which the film was loosely based, is actually delightful. But I digress....) Leonora Carrington is an English surrealist artist who ended up among the surrealist crowd in Paris, was married to Max Ernst for awhile (she's the woman in the famous Lee Miller photograph of Ernst in the Arizona desert, where Ernst is huge and she's very tiny), then she ended up in Mexico, where she was close, close friends with the Spanish surrealist artist Remedios Varo, who also ended up in Mexico (and inspired the character Anna Navara in my novel The Wood Wife) after fleeing Nazi persecution in France. The two of them often painted together, and it seems (from what I've read in Varo's biography) that their work was as much Visionary as it was Surrealist in that it expressed personal magical beliefs rather than simply being an intellectual Surrealist exercise. Leonora Carrington was also a writer of surrealist fantasy fiction. Amazing woman. I think she's still alive...the last I heard, she was living in Chicago. There was a traveling show of art by surrealist women painters going around the country a few years ago, and I'm still grieving that I missed it. I think you're right that Segur must have know Wulfing's work. It would be hard to avoid knowing it as an illustrator in Europe in the Fifties, and there are certainly some similarities. I don't know the man at B.P. Illustrated Books, but I'm going to take your advice and write to him about Segur. I'm desperate for more information on the woman. I like what you have to say about the way ones art and eye changes as one gets older. I still love the Pre-Raphaelites, for instance, but my early taste for Rossetti, all those dreamy girls with their long rippling hair, has lessened greatly since my college years and I much prefer Waterhouse now. Likewise, some of the artists who thrill me today, like Paula Rego, would have meant little to me as a young woman. There's a big exhibition of Rego's recent work up in the Lake District right now, and I'm trying to figure out if I can steal a few days away from work to go up there and see it. If I suddenly disappear from this board, you'll know I did. <g> It's exciting to know that there's a whole small museum dedicated to Wulfing. The next time you and Karen make it over to this side of the Atlantic, we've got to go. (Lotti, have you been there?) I'd definitely like to see more of the women's work you've mentioned, if there's someplace such things could be posted. As well as art by some of the artists on this board. But I'm far from being a computer whiz and I don't know how such a thing can be accomplished technically. (Heidi, any ideas?) I'm still trying to think of contemporary Visionary male artists, and drawing a blank. Surely there must be some besides Mark Wagner...? |
| Terri Registered User (9/8/01 11:25:29 pm) |
Re: Opinions
Jane, are you thinking of Angela Barette? (I don't think I'm spelling her name right....) |
| janeyolen Unregistered User (9/9/01 4:25:09 am) |
Yes!
Yes, yes indeed. Angela Barrett (or however that's spelled.) I'd love to do a book with her some day. In fact, I would love to do a collection of my own fairy tales with a different artist for each story. Impossibly expensive I am sure. But might as well dream large! Jane |
| Lotti Unregistered User (9/9/01 8:21:52 am) |
Dare I say it?
Oh-oh. Dare I say it? I did not want to add to this, as - I do not really like the work of Sulamith Wülfing. Ok, I have to admit that I am not familiar with her work, I have come across her work over the years would describe it better. My mother loves her, but I never really got into her work. I think I've seen her mermaid-Interpretation and I rather liked that, because I found her style highly appropriate to the tale. But usually, it just doesn't "touch" me. In general, I have no use for "Esoteric stuff" ;-) and her work has been taken over by this genre. Which influences my viewing of her art, I suppose. But again, your postings and the fact that so many of you love her work made me curious. I searched the web a little and found some links you might enjoy: www.lightworks.com/gallery/wulfing.html www.bluestar.com/ www.datadesignsb.com/book...g_bks.html This one has some other favourites, too: goblindesign.com/tome/gallery/tpast.htm After looking at the images I feel that yes, I might like her just a little better today, at least when I'm in certain "dreamy" moods. Maybe like Terri, it will grow on me over time... As for the museum: I searched the web but did not find it. This doesn't mean much, because having a homepage is still not the rule for (small) museums in Germany. The homepage of the city of Wuppertal does not mention the museum either. So, I'd advise anyone wishing to go there to contact the Wuppertal Tourism office first... Wuppertal is, by the way a rather large German industrial town (at least, by German standards). ;-) Hope you don't mind my sniffing my nose at a beloved artist, Lotti |
| Lotti Unregistered User (9/9/01 10:33:38 am) |
oh-oh
I have a nagging feeling I said something other than what I meant in my post when I wrote: "Maybe like Terri, it will grow on me over time...". Just to clarify: I meant "As Terri described it in her post, maybe it will happen the same way for me that the art of Sulamith Wülfing will grow on me". English is not my native language, so please forgive me if I did get it wrong. I just had to come back to add this. I love Terri's art!!! No question there... :-) |
| Kate Unregistered User (9/9/01 10:39:33 am) |
etc
I'll weigh in on Carrington (Leonora) with you, Terri, and say I find her work incredible--and her writing too. The painter Dorothea Tanning, also a surrealist who was married to Max Ernst (and a writer as well, currently living in Germany and publishing poetry in American journals such as Fence), is fantastic. I especially like a series of self-portraits from the mid-thirties (one, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", is on the cover of my novel!). Another, "Birthday," I am trying to secure for my next book, if the publisher's willing. She has said they are based on dreams and fairy tales. No one has yet mentioned the illustrator Maginel Wright Barney, whose images--"Dreams of Childhood" etc--are, to me, incredibly compelling. Does anyone else know her work (probably a dumb question, of course you do!) I was recently visiting a friend in Bozeman, and she had no idea that a tiny illustration she'd been given at a garage sale is in fact an original Maginel Wright Barney drawing, until I noticed it! That was exciting. |
| Terri Registered User (9/9/01 11:22:51 pm) |
Re: etc
Oops, oops, oops, here I am blathering on like I'm some kind of Carrington expert, and Kate's post has reminded me that I'm *totally wrong*, it's Dorothea Tanning who was married to Etnst and posed for the famous Lee Miller photograph. Carrington was Ernst's lover and lived with him for a while, but I don't think they ever actually married. (That man sure got around... .<g>) Here's a good, very brief bio of Carrington: artscenecal.com/ArticlesFile/Archive/Articles1995/Articles1295/Carrington.html And a good site about her art and fiction: members.nbci.com/lecarrington/ As a bit of serendipity, I happen to be reading a book on Lee Miller right now, which is why her Surrealist photograph of Ernst and Tanning stuck in my mind. (Plus I've always particularly loved it since it was taken in Arizona.) And yes, yes, yes to Maginel Wright Barney -- she's wonderful. How amazing to discover her work at a garage sale! That's the sort of thing you dream of, yet it so rarely happens. (My only similar experience was finding a signed color print by the Victorian fairy painter John Anster Fitzgerald at our local flea market here in Devon. The dealer knew it was old, so I didn't get dirt cheap, but I got it pretty darn cheap considering that it's Fitzgerald. ) Here's a small web page on Barney, for those who want illustrations to go along with this discussion: homepage.fcgnetworks.net/tortakales/Illustrators/Wright.html Lotti: Thanks for your kind words about my paintings. And you're certainly welcome to express a dissenting opinion about Wulfing! Her work has a gentle, "sweet" quality that in the worst of her paintings (like the worst of Boulet's) tips into the realm of the overly-sweet, and that can certainly be off-putting. Marja Lee Kruyt (the Dutch artist whose work we're featuring on the next edition of the Endicott Studio site) and I were talking about this just a few days ago. Marja's work has similar qualities, and she is conscious of not wanting to cross the fine line between dreamlike images and sheer sentimentality...which is particularly tricky when one is working with images of children, young girls, flowers, animals...all the symbols that are most potent for Marja. Women are more drawn to her work then men, in general. I find that's often true of my work as well. So is it that our work is just not good enough, powerful enough, to be appreciated equally by both sexes? Or is it simply that there is subject matter that women are more receptive to than men? (I've been having this argument with two male "modern artists" in my village, who -- without trying to be rude to me personally -- are firmly of the former opinion.) By the way, Lotti, your English is very, very good. Edited by: Terri at: 9/9/01 11:45:33 pm |
| Charles Vess Unregistered User (9/10/01 7:34:23 am) |
Curious indeed...
I can't tell you how often I've been approached by men at conventions with the first sentence out of their mouths being, "My girlfriend/wife/sister is a big fan of your work and would you sign this for her?". Very curious indeed...I used to be frustrated by this attitude but it has happened so often that nowadays I just start laughing to myself when it does. It could have something to do with the art (and here I'm taking of all art not just mine) in question being art that quietly beckons the viewer in to partake of it's offerings instead of a more bombastic work that might (visually speaking) grab a viewer by the lapels and practically force it's intentions on them.Subtlity never plays well to the masses. I also have a (possibly harebrained) theory that there is a prevalent modern manner of critical thinking that insists that if a work of art (or writing, etc.) uses aesthetically pleasing color or seeks to show a positive view of life than it can NOT be "real" art. "Real" art is painting with ugly colors (think pink smeared into black) and "real" writing is where everyone is committing adulatory out by the pool and shooting up in the bathroom. I've noticed this attitude too often to just dismiss it as a misguided attempt to justify my work coming from a (sometimes) disgruntled, marginalized fantasy painter. Yes it would be VERY easy to slip over into sloppy sentimentalism. Who hasn't cringed in horror while walking through a convention art show and viewed yet another happy glowing unicorn in a perfect world. Anyway give me any piece you ever do (Terri) over one more tired abstract expressionist splash of color.It seems to me that the abstracts, the minimalists, the photo realists they all quickly hit a dead end in their art because it was almost entirely based on an intellectual approach to art. They removed so many layers of meaning and imagery from those paintings, leaving only the paint to talk about the paint that they left themselves little or no where to go. If your art is concerned with exploring your mind, your personal belief systems refracting off of all the imagery and moral awareness that world mythology/folk/fairy tales has to offer then that seems to me, to be an endless pool of ideas to continually refresh yourself as an artist. Whew! I've never written all this down before...interesting. I think I'll go draw now. Charles |
| Lotti Unregistered User (9/10/01 10:50:17 am) |
They just won't admit
it
Charles, I think you are absolutely right with your saying that people today think that "real art" has to be "ugly", destructive, dirty, and so on. But I believe that deep down, they like the "other art" even better - but they do not dare admit it. It is a little like admitting to reading fairy tales - if you do not insert a talk on psychological and cultural questions raised by them, quote a few names - "I just can't agree with Bettelheim, you know." but plain and simple say: "I like them.", people will look at you with that certain funny expression on their face... It is the same that you don't admit to reading, say, romance, or watching this and that stupid show on television. "It just isn't done!" - And I guess it is the same with art: People think they have to take that "intellectual approach" you described for the painters as well. But do they really like that sort of art better? Somehow, I doubt it. But they won't admit it. And to a certain extent I believe it also covers the situation Terri described, that women like her art better than men. And yes, I also think it has to do with education. I believe that girls are still taught to paint "Nice flowers and be neat about filling in the colour" and boys are encouraged to paint all those bright red cars ;-) And this is not only true for the children expressing themselves artistically, but also for their perception of art. As for the men asking for an autograph for their wives - are you sure they just didn't want to admit it was for themselves? Like "Could you sign this for my wife? And please write 'for John'!" Best regards, Lotti >> Terri: Thanks for the praise concerning my English! I am walking on air right now... |
| Kate Unregistered User (9/10/01 11:00:29 am) |
Agreement
This is a hasty post to say that I agree with Charles's assessment. I recently gave a reading with two guys (both with lucrative book deals) whose work was, you know, funny, crude, loud, knee-slapping (good, but, well, loud). My fiction is very quiet, smooth and its humor is a tiny bit odd. I am often told that I shouldn't be surprised if "men don't like" my work. I've yet to meet a smart man who didn't though (ha ha). In any case, the work I like often foregrounds a certain kindness and sadness; this work is utterly eclipsed by the coolness and often (to me it seems contrived) violence in so many acclaimed novels. I liked Francine Prose's "Scent of a Woman's Ink" in Harper's a few years ago on this subject; and I think it is not only a matter of gender, as you point out, Charles, but also often of subtle, intelligent art losing out (only in the short run, mind you!) to noisier product. I'm sure I could be more eloquent on this sometime. But not today. Your theory is NOT harebrained, Charles. |
| Kate Unregistered User (9/10/01 11:45:37 am) |
Maginel Wright Barney
Terri, Do you know if there's a book devoted to Maginel Wright Barney's work? I have looked and looked and cannot find one. Only books on illustrators that mention her. Kate |
| Kerrie Registered User (9/10/01 1:57:42 pm) |
modern fairy tale art
I've been following this post and trying to figure out my current faves, when it occurred to me that one medium hasn't been mentioned- photography. I know it can seem more limiting than having full-reign over a canvas, but at least one photographer comes to mind: Suza Scalora. After seeing her enchanting cover art for Francesca Lia Block and Lynne Ewing's YA books, as well as her own books, FAERIES and WITCHES AND WIZARDS OF OBERIN, I fell immediately in love! I've always been envious of my father's artistic ability (I'm actually trying to get him to respond to this thread), but her photos inspired me to work with my sister on a photoshoot (hopefully to take place soon) using our own fairy tale/folkloric themes. Another photographer, Lisa Jane Wedelich, photographs children in fairy or fairy tale costumes (I like her work much better than Anne Geddes). Her book, ENCHANTED CHILDHOOD, is simply precious! Just my ha'penny. Dandelion wishes, Kerrie |
| NancyMe Registered User (9/10/01 3:15:52 pm) |
Modern Fairy Tale Art
- photography
There are 2 fairy tale books illustrated with photography that I really like. Both are from Creative Education (originally published in the early 1980's). One is "The Fir Tree" illustrated by Marcel Imsand & Rita Marshall - it's quite lovely. The other is "Little Red Riding Hood" illustrated by Sarah Moon. This is one is very powerful and, to my eye, really uses the sexual subplot of LRRH. Both are very well done. I like all the FT books that I've seen in this series. Kindest wishes, Nancy |
| La Reine Noire Registered User (9/10/01 5:58:22 pm) |
Artists
I'm not sure if anyone has actually come across a copy of this book, but I've been on a hunt for the faery-tale book illustrated by Gustave Dore. I have his "Divine Comedy" and his illustrations are just incredible. Plus, I did read somewhere that it was his artwork for "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty" that inspired Jean Cocteau's set designs in the 1946 "Beauty and the Beast" film. As for modern artists, I'm not very familiar with many. Though I do recall an absolutely stunning children's version of "Beauty and the Beast" (I think the illustrator did several faery-tale books) whose name I can't remember for the life of me! I've been looking for that book for a long time...does anyone know which illustrator this is? I remember the cover had a peacock feather motif, for some odd reason, but the illustrations inside were ravishing... Oh, and those lovely pencil drawings in Jane Yolen's series "Here there be..." One of my friends is a rabid JY fan and has all those books, which she showed to me sometime last summer. The Unicorns one had this beautiful illustration of a man and a woman that I absolutely loved. The book isn't with me at the moment, so I can't look up the illustrator, but I thought Jane would probably know...? Other than that, I love Alan Lee's illustrations for "Lord of the Rings," though I've not seen any of his other stuff. Plus, another LotR illustrator whose name escapes me...I think he's the one they're using on the massmarket editions they just released. I think it's Peter Jackson, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm rambling now, so I'd best stop. ~Kavita |
| tlchang37 Registered User (9/10/01 10:50:01 pm) |
Re: Artists
Kavita, I haven't seen the actual fairy tale book illustrated by Dore but in one of my compilation books (The Classic Fairy Tales, by Iona and Peter Opie - has lots of illustrations from the 1800's) they have several of his illustrations - Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, etc... and they are taken from "Fairy Tales Told Again" illustrated by Gustave Dore; Cassell, Petter and Galpin, 1872. Don't know if that's the one you are looking for or not, (or if it has been re-printed more recently). I'll be interested to know if you find it available. As far as other versions of Beauty and the Beast, the one you are describing could be the one illustrated by Jan Brett - there is a fan with peacock feathers on the cover. I have a couple of other versions that I greatly prefer. One is a reprint from Barnes and Noble - "Beauty and the Beast, and Other Classic Fairy Tales" retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and illustrated by Edmund Dulac. The illustrations for all the tales (Sleeping Beauty, B and the B, Blue Beard and Cinderella). Another fun version is illustrated by Hilary Knight (translated by Richard Howard - afterward by Jean Cocteau). It's somewhat of a departure from Knight's usual very playful style. It's a little more sophisticated and stylized - and he uses a very limited and different palette in each picture. Hope that gives you a starting place. Tara |
| janeyolen Unregistered User (9/11/01 3:39:27 am) |
Illustrator
Those wondrful dreamy black and white pictures in my Here There Be books are by David Wilgus, a NCarolina artist whm I have never met. If you want to know more about these books--try: www.janeyolen.com Jane |
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