Looking at Narrative illustration

Fig. 3

Image done by Jillian Tamaki, 2008

Folktale illustration of older periods, such as the golden period of illustration during the turn of the 20^th century are very contrasting to the illustration found in modern times. Taking a look at modern illustrator, Jillian Tamaki, for instance (see fig.3), Tamaki is capable of using modern means to paint, by means of a graphics tablet, and skim over the narrative scene-depicting imagery. Instead Tamaki uses semiotics in order to make connections visible to children. She also uses Levi-Strauss’ binary oppositions to create a distinction between Rapunzel and her Witch-Mother. The youthful carefree beauty of Rapunzel at top creates a crisp visual in comparison to the old struggling figure of the witch at the bottom of the image. Though this image is more decorative than narrative, readers are quickly able to identify what is the intended good versus evil.

Fig. 4

Plate done by Arthur Rackham,

When we look at Rackham’s taken illustration of Rapunzel, we get a very classic image of what Rapunzel is in fig.4. She is domestic, beautiful and fair, hoisting up her Witch-Mother. However the witch does not evoke darkness and evil, but instead kindles curiosity and intrigue, thus making this image more narrative based than Tamaki’s more semiotics-charged decorative piece.