Monday, August 21, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section C · Page 13
KU artist explores dark side of fairy tales
119th century French artist Gustave Dore illustrated the dark side of Tom Thumb. Contributed art.
By Jim O'Malley writer@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
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 pay for her 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 Grimm Brothers' fairy 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.
Morris said she had started drawing but had not begun painting for the project yet.
"I'm still trying to sort out the kind of images I want to present," she said.
The wolf threatens Little Red Riding Hood's mother in this illustration by Gustave Doré. Contributed art.
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 cute. 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 Bettelheim'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
reminist 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' strengths.
"Because she reads a lot, she has a lot she wants to say." Hartman said.
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 said. Between moments of inspiration are long periods of hard work.
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."
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