Uncovering Snow White
If you think you know everything there is to know about fairy tales, you’re wrong.
“Snow White” (oil on canvas) by Heather Berthelette; the first painting of her much-anticipated Fairy Tale Still Lifes Series
Once upon a time, in March 2021 to be exact, I began my Fairy Tale Still Lifes series with a painting that I now call, “Snow White.” Like Walt Disney’s decision on selecting this tale to be the subject of his first animated film, it felt only natural to choose Snow White as the start of my artistic exploration. I did not know it at the time, but creating this piece would spark my own curiosity about the true origins of the story and lead me to unravel an exciting history behind its many magical retellings.
Initially, my intentions for this painting were to depict only the delicious-looking, red apple reflected in a handheld, silver mirror with apple blossoms overhead – a clear reference to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The white petals break up the dimly lit composition (a nod to Flemish-style painting) and suggest a sense of innocence and purity. A cyclic conversation of growth and maturity is implied between the new buds and the ripe fruit. While in the background, the viridian hues of the drapery complement the shades of red in the apple and tie everything together. Still, it felt like there was something missing.
I let the project sit for two years, looking at it occasionally. Until, one day, the painting spoke to me again. I quite literally brushed the dust off, put it back on my easel, and asked, “What do you need to feel complete?” The internal voice in my head said clearly, “Go back to the original fairy tale.” Pulling my collection of Brothers Grimm tales off my bookshelf, I stood in front of my easel and read the tale aloud to the two-dimensional audience before me. It was then that I realized my still life arrangement only scratched the surface. For in the original tale (1854), the Queen uses not one poisonous item, but three (for all fairy tale lovers know that everything comes in threes): the cursed ribbon, the poisonous comb, and the infamous apple.
These intriguing differences between the Disney animated version and the original tale led me to paint this symbolic triad within my composition. As an intuitive afterthought, I included a fallen blossom adjacent to the apple to create a foreshadowing sense of doom. Viewers will recognize this climatic part in the story, and like in all fairy tales, will remember that goodness shall always prevail. This message of hope can be felt in the idealized way of how I carefully painted each subject, and especially in the delicate, white blossoms above. Walt Disney’s re-creation and the original details in the tale of Snow White combine in my own visual retelling that pays homage to both of my creative ancestors.
Oftentimes, the reason behind my work does not become apparent to me until I am several chapters in. With this first painting of my series completed, I was still left with a burning question, “Who inspired Walt Disney to remake Snow White?” If you look carefully at artists’ work, there is a creative lineage that can be traced back to its original source. Clearly, my own art is inspired by my predecessors, Walt and his team of animators. So, surely someone in turn must have inspired him. If painting “Snow White” has taught me anything, it is that the artwork of today is inherently influenced by the artwork of yesterday. Tomorrow’s art is an embellishment on the previous work of artists we look up to and would not be possible without their creative insights.
While prepariang to begin the next painting of my Fairy Tale Still Lifes series, I find myself completely immersed in this research. As I stated earlier in this blog, I did not expect this exciting turn in the process of creating these works. Nor did I realize how large this topic is truly becoming. There is much more to account for between the original tale of Snow White by the Brothers Grimm in 1854 and when Disney’s animators created the poison apple decades later. I expect my time with Snow White has not yet concluded with the completion of this painting, but rather has begun a deeper dive into this beloved fairy tale. I look forward to sharing my parallel discoveries with you all in a polished, exploratory research paper (yes! It’s in the works). For that installment, you will have to wait. But for now, I’ll leave you with something to ponder: “What do the Brothers Grimm, a well-to-do family of a shovel company from North Easton, Massachusetts, and Disney’s animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, all have in common?”
“One bite and all your dreams will come true.”