Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Life in contrast with death has pondered quite a few artists over the centuries. It is also a subject frequently encountered in classic and folk tales. However, this is not the case in modern fairy tales which are considered as a popular literary genre for children and for this reason, death is treated as a taboo subject. When an artist decides to deal with this particular subject in the context of the modern fairy tale, most of the time he/she “approaches” it through a more positive framework. The artist focuses mainly on the loss management, thus reducing the stimulation of philosophical discussions that may this dipole raise. This study presents a way that artists can manage the distinct subject of life and death without worrying about possible negative reactions. We demonstrate a different perspective, which does not create superficial and fearful approaches reducing the artistic power of each modern fairy tale. Such a modern and groundbreaking approach to the subject of death, which can affect both children and adults, is the fairy tale “Duck, Death and the Tulip” by Wolf Erlbruch, author and illustrator. Ιt is analysed as a work of art using the Panofsky iconological method.