Whimsical, dark, beautiful. This is a great new way to explore the all too familiar Grimm's fairytales.
Summary:
Australian artist and writer Shaun Tan illustrates 75 of the Brothers Grimm fairytales using sculptures. Each highlights the darkness and archetypes of the stories with pure simplicity and complex emotions.
Verdict: 9/10
I loved the fresh take on these fairytales. So many of the Grimms' tales are dark and weighty and are filled with death. But when we tell them to children, they're colorful and cartoonish. Tan was able to capture both in such an unusual way. He didn't make his statues gory or overly grotesque, yet he brought out the poignant and present darkness in each.
Every image stops you in your tracks and consider the real role of the character. Are the mischievous children who trick someone really the heroes or the villains? Is the princess as ideal as she thinks or does she have a more tempting side? And you consider the themes in a new way that makes them last longer. One of my favorite selections was The Little Shroud. It's so simple and yet it really conveys so much. These pictures really stick in your head in a hauntingly beautiful way.
There were quite a few tales that I wasn't familiar with. Each page is set out with an image and a corresponding few lines from the fable. But a quick synopsis of the tale is in the back annex which I found helpful to really tell me what the story was about.
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