, the very idea of “childhood” was relatively new. Or so we understand from French historian, Philippe Ariès, whose influential bookIf Ariès is correct, and people recognised no discontinuity between children and adults until the 17th century, then we may assume that folk tales had equally diverse audiences.
In recent decades, writers such as Robert Coover and Angela Carter have produced fairy stories that undermine every social nicety. If you find the Brothers Grimm too brutal, try reading Coover’s, it opens up a vast, problematic box of toys. The initial problem for the curators, Amanda Slack-Smith and Sophie Hopmeier, was to choose artworks and movies from a super-abundance of material.
The most impressive work in this section is the first thing one meets upon entering the show: a gigantic installation by Brazilian artist, Henrique Oliveira, called, which engulfs the visitor in gnarled, twisting branches, made from real trees, enhanced with strips of plywood. It’s one of those rare pieces that justifies the detestable adjective, “indescribable”.
The Blackman paintings are easily the most engaging, retaining a sense of wonder that draws us back into the world of the book in all its strangeness. The other artists take a more superficial approach. Tim Burton has made some great films, but, we instinctively think “Happily ever after”. It’s as much of a fairy tale formula as that famous opening line, “Once upon a time”.
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