Wednesday, June 21, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Tabitha Morris,
Fayetteville, Ark.,
sophomore,
works on a
painting of a unicorn.
Morris earned an
research grant to
support her work
on a series of
paintings exploring
the dark
sides of fairy
tales. Below: A scene from Tom Thumb by 19th - century French artist Gustave Dore shows the dark side of fairy tales.
KU artist explores dark side of fairy tales
By Jim O'Malley editor@kansan.com Kansan co-editor
That's how one version of Snow White and the Seven Duarves ends.
And the wicked queen was forced to put on iron shoes that were heated red hot and made to dance until she died.
"Fairy tales are very dark and sinister," said painting major Tabitha Morris, Fayetteville, Ark, sophomore. "I really want to explore that side of them."
Morris won an undergraduate research award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to fund her
The wolf threatens Litle Red Riding Hood in Gustave Dore's 19th-century illustration.
exploration of the dark side of fairy tales through a series of paintings. She was one of 49 University undergraduates to receive research awards this summer.
Morris said that people were most familiar with the Disney movie versions of fairy tales, but that the Gr i r m m Brothers' fairy
Morris said she had started drawing but had not yet begun painting for the project.
tales, for example, were pretty nasty. Some fairy tales were bawdy and sexually gross, and she considered that as a starting point for her paintings. But because she had worked with sexual imagery in other paintings, she wanted to do something different.
"I'm still trying to sort out the kind of images I want to present," she said.
Morris said she was looking at the sins illustrated by some of the better-known fairy tales. In *Snow White*, the wicked queen's sin is vanity, in *Cinderella*, the step-sisters' sin is envy, and in *Hansel and Gretel*, the witch's sin is gluttony. Morris said she found it intriguing that the heroes and heroines of the tales committed the same sin as the villains.
Dennis Quinn, professor of English, has taught courses in children's literature.
"The dark side of fairy tales is a popular modern interpretation," he said. "There's a dark side to fairy tales because there's a dark side of life."
The dark side could be overemphasized, he said. Fairy tales generally have happy endings and a strong sense of justice.
But the Disney movie versions were too cool. Quinn said.
"What they have done to the classic stories is awful." Quinn said. "It's a great misfortune in American movies. Cuteness is the disease of much children's literature."
Morris said she had done a lot of research for the project, reading scholarly books on fairy tales, such as psychologist Bruno Bettleheim's The Uses of Enchantment.
"Just as you wouldn't write a research paper without research, you wouldn't want to paint a painting without research," she said. "I try to read a lot of feminist literature and tie that into fairy tales, which portray the archetypal female roles."
Tanya Hartman, assistant professor of art, said research was one of Morris's
strengths.
"Because she reads a lot," Hartman said. "she has a lady who wants to sav."
Morris has talent, Hartman said. She has a beautiful sense of color and draws really well. But people don't realize how important research is to art.
"Everyone thinks you just pull the
art out of thin air," she said.
Hard work is also important in art, Hartman work. Between moments of inspiration are long periods of hard work.
"It's like a sport," she said. "You have to work at it every day. Tabitha works hard at it."
Morris said she had been drawing all
her life, but had not painted until she got to the University. Then she took Hartman's painting class.
"After the first semester," she said, "I really loved it. I really think I want to make this my life's passion. Being able to think about things, to express things - it's priceless to me."
Edited by Ben Embry
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