Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales 1873

Curator: This print, dating back to 1873, is entitled "Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales," credited to Mykola Murashko. The engraving utilizes romantic landscape elements, coupled with a somewhat whimsical scene in the sky. What stands out to you initially? Editor: The bird immediately draws the eye – a figure appears to be riding it. There is something almost naive about the color palette. How does it evoke its fairy tale themes? Curator: Fairy tales rely heavily on archetypes and readily accessible imagery, and the romanticism movement had already integrated many folk tales into their themes. Here we have this grand landscape that reflects the sublime found in nature, but that is challenged by that figure and the bird. The materiality of print itself makes it accessible as it spreads both story and art across cultures and classes. The question, however, is what does that combination truly speak to? Editor: It reminds me a bit of old mythologies of the soul’s journey, represented here with a landscape below and figure atop a spirit bird soaring towards the unknown. Birds in general frequently symbolize freedom and transformation. How the spirit changes or evolves over time is an overarching cultural theme represented. What were Murashko’s inspirations, do we know what sources influenced them? Curator: Murashko was very involved in the Kyiv Drawing School during his life. His attention to craft and detail, to how art can be used to help create accessible stories that speak across class, cultural and linguistic borders makes it an artwork not simply about the final images but how and why they could spread in his community. Editor: Absolutely, by intertwining familiar symbolic language into popular fairytale motifs, this print reflects those values of Murashko’s social intent in art, giving it longevity. Thank you, these combined approaches deepened the emotional experience for me. Curator: The delight is mine, recognizing both the how and why makes the experience richer.