So, how is your appetite, troll mother continued 1915

Curator: What a haunting, magical scene. The light in this gouache painting almost seems to glow from within. Editor: I find the cave setting imposing but also protective. It's got this eerie yet womb-like feeling, don't you think? It almost makes me forget that these figures in it are kind of monstrous! Curator: Yes, there's a sense of refuge here. This piece is "So, how is your appetite, troll mother continued", crafted in 1915 by the Swedish artist John Bauer, known for his illustrations of folklore and fairytales. He worked primarily with watercolor and gouache. Editor: Folklore, right, because just look at the detail put into the ornamentation of the trolls. I'm drawn to the patterns that give this entire tableau movement, especially the dripping jewels of the mother’s braids contrasting with the static stones of the table before her. She's almost slumped. Curator: Absolutely. And the linear precision, how that is paired against areas where watercolor has clearly been allowed to run, really heightens the sense of drama. He had an incredible knack for visual storytelling and for making the fantastical seem utterly real. Bauer expertly juxtaposes organic forms like the flowing locks of hair and rigid geometry, like the sharp crown worn by the smaller troll-like figure at the edge of the composition. I read the piece in terms of fairytale traditions using symbolism to underscore good versus evil. Editor: I’m more captivated by the mood, how it's generated from the color relations and varied tonality to achieve a symbolic expression, even outside narrative! Take the almost sickening shade of green at the top of the painting, bleeding and blurred as it fades to beige lower down—the color itself becomes the story. Curator: A story not without a tinge of tragedy, maybe. Both John Bauer and his wife perished only a few years after painting this. In a strange twist, they both were headed to start a new life. It's tempting to imagine they sought refuge in their art— and it makes me view the scene through that new light! Editor: I like that--I hadn't considered a potential autobiography woven into a mythical backdrop like this. Well, it enriches it. Gives another dimension to those dripping jewels.