Snow White 1922

Walter Crane made this image of Snow White, most likely as an illustration, using pen and ink and a whole lot of cross hatching. It's all in monochrome, like he's figuring out the tones in his head as he draws. I love the way Crane has used the hatching and line work to create depth, like the dark foliage behind the figure. If you look closely at the woman, dressed as an old crone, you can see how the closely spaced lines on her clothing give it form and weight, while the lighter areas are left almost untouched. The scene itself is a classic fairy tale moment. The old woman offers Snow White the fateful apple, rendered in smooth, gentle curves which make it feel as sweet and irresistible as it looks. It’s this contrast between light and dark, good and evil, that draws me into the image, like a philosophical problem worked out through pictures. Crane reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley, another illustrator whose work is about line and dark fantasy. Both of them show us that art is a conversation, always borrowing, always building on what came before.