Introduction: Illustrations of the Grimms’ Fairytales in Germany until the End of the Twentieth Century

5In this regard, the following chapter analyzes the multifarious artistic strategies and multiple levels of meaning in three contemporary picturebooks: Rotkäppchen (Little Red Riding Hood, 2014) with illustrations by Sybille Schenker, Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel, 2007), illustrated by Susanne Janssen, and Von dem Fischer und seiner Frau (The Fisherman and His Wife, 2013), with illustrations by Jonas Lauströer. A close analysis will reveal that the picturebook artists used the Grimms’ fairytales to emphasize their topicality which comes to the fore in an intricate text-picture relationship.

A Game of Disguise and Deception: Little Red Riding Hood

8The cut-out letters on the cover belong to the silhouette technique which is used throughout the book. When opening the first doublespread, the fairytale text is printed on the left page, while the right page shows Red Riding Hood with a red cape and red stockings, holding a tiny flower in her clasped hands (Figure 2). Although we are shown a front view of the girl, she has turned her gaze towards the right, looking at someone or something outside of the picture. Her body contours consist of black carton with cutout pieces. The empty spaces are filled with different materials including colored paper, checkered wrapping paper, and cardboard. The same applies to the setting that shows a silhouette with vines, birds, a butterfly, and mushrooms. The cutout holes offer a glimpse of another setting, presumably a wood with trees and flowers. Nevertheless, the viewer cannot see everything, since Red Riding Hood’s body, the mushrooms, and the butterfly cover significant parts of the translucent forest setting.

9When turning the page, the illustration of the forest comes to the fore, though covered by silk paper. The illustration shines through the silk paper, showing Red Riding Hood, who is turning her back to the viewer (Figure 3). She is holding a basket in her left hand and a huge flower in her right hand. The viewer catches sight of the wolf, who is placed in the right margin. While he is staring attentively at the girl, she does not notice the animal and focuses instead on the flowers on the ground. When removing the silk paper, the whole scenery comes into full view. The text of the first doublespread, however, is now partly hidden by the turned silhouette illustration, but some letters and words can still be recognized. The ensuing text is printed on the back page of the silhouette illustration. Interestingly, this text does not match with the image, as it refers to the conversation between Red Riding Hood and her mother before the girl leaves home in order to visit her grandmother. Hence, the illustration anticipates the story, since it visualizes an event which is only told later in the text.

10This description already indicates that Schenker has used the silhouette technique to convey a potential meaning of the fairytale which is closely connected to the issue of concealing one’s own intentions. The silhouette technique has an old tradition as it was prominent in the nineteenth century, when silhouette illustrations embellished children’s books and illustrated books addressed to adult readers. In contrast to Schenker’s usage, these nineteenth century illustrations usually consisted of silhouettes only, set against a unicolored, often white background. The pages in these old books never had cutouts, calling the viewer’s attention instead to the contours of the figures, objects, and settings rather than the background.

13The idea to use the silhouette technique in order to hide something which can only be unveiled by turning the pages determines Schenker’s picturebook from the first to the final doublespread, as the reader is left in a state of uncertainty. When looking at certain illustrations, such as the image that shows the wolf in disguise with glasses and bonnets, vis-à-vis Red Riding Hood, the reader may initially presume that this doublespread uses the silhouette technique in the same manner as in the beginning spread, that is by using semi-transparent paper. Quite on the contrary, the silhouettes and contours of the figures here are painted and not cut out (Figure 5).

14This juxtaposition of cut-out illustrations and painted illustrations that resemble cut-out illustrations is the application of a technique which is known as trompe l’oeil. Trompe l’oeil deceives the viewer because a painting or illustration pretends to represent something which does not hold true on closer consideration. The reader of Schenker’s picturebook, after having looked at the first two doublespreads, may assume that the following spreads function in the same way. As soon as the reader discovers that her expectations have not come true, she may be alerted to the utilization of the silhouette technique. Moreover, the method of partly disclosing information via the cut-outs demands a careful contemplation of the single illustrations.

15A case in point are the penultimate and final spreads. The penultimate spread shows the grandmother’s hut on the left-hand page and the forest surrounding the hut on the right-hand page (Figure 6). On closer consideration, the big belly of the wolf is visible in the cut-out window. On a first glance, this can also be interpreted as a black shadow. Since the previous page showed the wolf snoring in bed, an attentive viewer is able to discern that the black mass represents the wolf’s body. The cut-out silhouette of trees on the right page mostly covers the hunter and his dog. The hunter’s gaze is turned towards the hut as if he is carefully watching or listening; he most probably heard the wolf’s snoring, since he does not have a full view of the scenery inside the hut. Through this strategy, the viewer takes on the hunter’s viewpoint and ascertains that the hunter is looking for clues in order to find out the reasons for his unusual perception.

16The final spread continues this game of disguise. A green silhouette page whose design – flowers, mushrooms and butterflies – echoes the silhouette design of the first spread covers the image behind: grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood are sitting at the table, drinking coffee and having a nice time together. The right page, however, shows the hunter carrying the dead wolf on his back, while the words “Ende” (the end) are printed beneath his feet (Figure 7).

17Hence, by turning page after page, the figures and the settings are gradually unveiled. This playful character is reminiscent of a hide-and-seek game, where the reader must search for hidden things and meanings. In addition, the mixture of “real” cut-out silhouettes and feigned, yet painted silhouettes irritates the reader, since she has to verify the specific character of every single illustration. Seen in this light, the illustrations participate in the act of deceiving the reader in the same manner as the wolf deceives Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. He leads Red Riding Hood astray in the woods, outwits the grandmother by disguising his rough voice, and tricks the girl by dressing up like her grandmother. However, as the respective visuals demonstrate, an attentive viewer is able to see through the deceptive actions of the wolf, as the silhouette illustrations always show parts of the wolf’s real appearance and facial expression.

18Seen in this light, Schenker has found a surprising way of using the material qualities of the book that make the game of deception also part of its form. Using the alternation between cut-out silhouettes and painted silhouettes, the insertion of silk paper and colored paper with cut-out ornaments that diffuse or cover parts of the subsequent image, and the obvious mismatch between text and image, this picturebook initiates a hide-and-seek game that draws the reader’s attention to the (partly) hidden figures and objects which either anticipate forthcoming events or refer back to past events.

The Relationship between Reality and Imagination: Hänsel und Gretel

20When opening the book, the reader firstly sees the front papers that show a cityscape with a building from whose windows hang three pieces of laundry, the white shirt of Hansel, the checkered apron of Gretel, and a white sheet against a red background that symbolizes their stepmother (Figure 8).

23These images serve as indicators for the individual characters’ states of mind. While the father is depicted as a weak person suffering from poverty and hunger, the stepmother seems to be cold and heartless. The children, however, are in a state of innocence, focusing on themselves and their inner feelings. Their emotional condition changes after they are imprisoned by the witch in the wood. Like in the first image, they have closed eyes as if withdrawing into a dream world full of imagination that contradicts the nightmarish atmosphere in the realm of the witch. Noticeably, the red cloth of the witch matches the red apron of the stepmother, thus building a link between both female characters. This is additionally stressed by the mask-like face of the witch that obviously mirrors the pale face of the stepmother (Figure 11).

24While the similarity between the witch and the stepmother has been highlighted again and again in previous picturebook interpretations of this fairytale, most notably by Anthony Browne, Janssen managed to create a novel interpretation of the siblings. From the beginning, they are depicted as twins, representing a female and male version of the child. What is more, they have open eyes in the first spreads but closed eyes after they have realized the wickedness of the witch. However, the most enigmatic thing happens on the final spread when only one child, still with closed eyes, is visible in the top right-hand corner of the image (Figure 12).

26However, the center of the image shows two animals, a white duck and a bloody red carp, which may be read as the two poles that govern the storyline, namely the struggle of innocence against evil and wickedness. Quite interestingly, the father of the children is not shown in the concluding image. He does not seem to play a significant role in the children’s development. As a matter of fact, the final image is closely connected to the first one regarding the design of the picture. The lower edge of the first illustration has a crescent-shaped form, as if someone is looking at the scenery using a spyglass. The final illustration, by contrast, has a crescent-shaped form at the upper edge. Putting these two images together, the two crescent shapes complement each other, thus closing a circle.

28Nature, that is the wood, is depicted as a counterpoint to civilization and the city. In the picturebook, nature is represented as a place of safety as well as a place of danger. As the siblings have overcome the perils of the wood and the witch as its main inhabitant, they seem to become one with nature. The endpapers show the same setting as in the front papers, however, with an important difference: only the white shirt and the apron of the siblings are visible as they hang from the balcony. The right window with the red curtains and the white sheet has been cut, probably indicating the death of the stepmother.

29Susanne Janssen has created a rather disturbing version of the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel which addresses issues such as severe poverty and abuse of power which lead to child neglect and brutal behavior. While these topics are already mentioned in the original text, Janssen’s illustrations point to the alarming effects these aspects have on children’s development. The siblings’ closed eyes potentially indicate that the adventures in the wood belong to the children’s dream world. They imagine the encounter with the witch and their rescue in order to escape their miserable living conditions. The dangerous atmosphere that the children experience in nature is further highlighted by the birds that are depicted as machine-like beings, whose bodies consist of metallic industrial items. While the birds are constructed as a collage of photographically created elements, the trees consist of dark masses interspersed with red surfaces that point to danger in general and refer to the witch aka the stepmother. Seen in this light, the last spread – with the duck and carp in the middle and the child with closed eyes in the top right-hand corner – still refers to the world of imagination. The return to the realm of reality is indicated in the end papers with the urban building and the clothes on the line. The scenery suggests that almost nothing has changed. The children still live in precarious conditions; they have no treasures to enable them to escape poverty. The only change that happens in their life is their stepmother’s death. Hence, Janssen’s version of Hansel and Gretel displays a psychological and symbolic depth which demonstrates the validity of this fairytale for our modern times.

Environmental Destruction and Human Greed: Von dem Fischer und seiner Frau

31The first illustration shows the fisherman at the lonely beach near a vessel which has been pulled onto the beach. The sky and the water are a greyish blue with black scratches that indicate a stormy weather. The next illustration displays a close view of the fisherman, who has caught an enormous flounder almost as big as his own body. The following illustration depicts the moment when the fisherman has thrown the wounded flounder back into the sea. The picture shows the dark sea with streams of blood, thus evoking an eerie and even threatening atmosphere.

32The subsequent story unfolds when the fisherman’s wife demands that the fisherman ask the flounder a favor. She wants to live in a house instead of a fisherman’s hut. After the flounder grants this wish, the fisherman’s wife becomes greedy and urges the fisherman to ask the flounder to change the house into a villa. After the fulfilment of this wish, she wants to become a king, then an emperor and a pope. Every time the fisherman meets the flounder, the sea and the environment drastically change. When the fisherman asks for the villa, the flounder lays on the beach, surrounded by garbage, broken wooden planks, and empty bottles. Next time, the sea has turned into a dirty mass with garbage, planks, and bottles floating on the surface. When the fisherman tells the flounder that his wife wants to become an emperor, the sea seems to be toxic, as a barrel containing nuclear waste is floating in the water. The fisherman wears a protective suit, a cap and a mouth protection, as workers in nuclear power stations do (Figure 13). As the wife’s fantasy of omnipotence grows and she forces the fisherman to meet the flounder again because she wants to become a pope, the sea scenery turns into a nightmarish place. The sea and the beach are black masses and cannot be distinguished anymore. The flounder has turned into a shiny white corpse as if the animal is contaminated by nuclear and other toxic materials. The fisherman wears a protective outfit that resembles a diving suit, with an oxygen bottle on his back and a respiratory mask.

33However, the situation on the beach comes to a head when the fisherman deplores his wife’s wish to become God. In this situation, sea and beach have turned into a dark mass. The red and white streams and the black scratches indicate a heavy storm with the elements in turmoil. The reader is in the position of the fisherman, who is not able to distinguish the border between land and sea anymore. Quite surprisingly, the next and final illustration shows the beach and the fisherman, as in the beginning of the story. Thus, the first and the final illustration mirror each other and frame the inner story. Moreover, they indicate that nothing seems to have happened in between. Although the sea has increasingly turned into a toxic element, the final image returns to the representation of nature as it is shown in the first one. This may be interpreted as the return to the same state, like in a dream, since the fisherman and his wife return to their initial status, living in a hut again.

35The book cover shows both characters sitting together on a bench in front of a house (Figure 14). The fisherman is holding his wife’s hand and looking at her inquisitively. The fisherman’s wife, however, is turning her face in the other direction, on the verge of expressing her dissatisfaction with the house and formulating a new wish. While the fisherman still wears fisherman’s clothes, his wife wears a dress with a lace collar and a hat, thus indicating a new social status. The same image reappears inside the book when the fisherman’s wife asks for a villa.

36In the ensuing pictures, the fisherman and his wife are not shown together anymore. The pages either depict the fisherman or his wife, thereby indicating the imbalance of their social positions – the fisherman always remains a fisherman, as his wife climbs up the social ladder. When the fisherman’s wife becomes queen, the respective illustration shows the fisherman standing on a red carpet that leads to a throne on a pedestal. Surrounded by armed soldiers standing guard, the fisherman submissively approaches the throne, which seems to sparkle with gold. Only the feet of the queen, aka the fisherman’s wife, are discernible, thus emphasizing her high social status and negating the former equality of the two characters. The picture with the fisherman’s wife as empress centers on the woman. She wears a heavy crown and a purple ermine coat. Interestingly enough, her gesture with both arms raised resembles the typical gesture of blessing of the pope, thus anticipating her next wish.

37The same procedure of anticipation is discernible in the image that shows the fisherman’s wife as a pope. She is clothed like a pope with a tiara and a huge crucifix while raising her right hand in a gesture of blessing. However, she is hardly recognizable, since a halo surrounds her as if she is a saint, thus foreshadowing her wish to become God (Figure 15). Amidst the anonymous crowd whose members bend their heads in order to demonstrate their belief in the Christian Church and their devotion to the pope is the fisherman, who is only discernible because of his suspenders and the fisherman’s cap. The humans on this picture do not have any faces because they turn their backs to the reader, quite similar to the other image with the soldiers on guard. While the soldiers at the end of the row are fully depicted, the heads of the soldiers nearer to the fisherman are cut off by the picture’s frame. Like the worshipping crowd surrounding the pope, the soldiers represent anonymized people who have to obey the rules of the queen. One may wonder whether the behavior of the people towards the king and the pope mirrors the fisherman’s behavior toward his wife. He does not resist his wife’s egoistic wishes, although they become increasingly selfish, even mad. He is so weak that he obeys at once despite his recurring complaints when he meets the flounder. Seen in this light, this fairytale edition points to the close relation between ecological, social, and political issues. So, the book’s message can be summarized in this way: those who always obey and follow the commands of their superiors contribute to the destruction of the environment and the empowerment of the mighty.

Conclusion