Review: Egon Mathiesen Utopian in « Apan Osvald »
When the news flow daily is overflowing by absurdities and one disaster replaces the other, it is easy to be desperate. A newly published children's book classic from 1947 offers a small trip to a more optimistic period.
After the Second World War, the picture book reflected society's quest for modernity and new, visual expressions. Egon Mathiesen was one of the Danish illustrators (with colleagues such as Ingrid Vang Nyman, Poul Ströyer and Egon Møller-Nielsen) who in the picture book saw opportunities to create a bridge for the art. There, conscious naivism and simplified forms and motifs are central, and the playful and abstract has replaced the naturalistic illustrations that were previously common in children's books. This modernist perspective, that the experience of what is happening in the picture is important – not that the image realistically reproduces it – invites the child to interpretation and participation. There is an anti -authoritarian basic tone, which also permeates the story of the monkey Osvald, which was published in Swedish in 1969.
Oshald is small, loves apples and playing with their friends. Everything would have been great if it wasn't for the big naughty monkey that unannounced comes and disturbs.
He always comes mumbled –
Oh, I mean tumbling
With noise and rebellion.
He screams: Hi!
so you get afraid
and rushes up in the tree.
When the naughty monkey arrives, you have to watch out, offer apples, pick his fleas and even set up as a pillow if you are unlucky (which unwarranted). But one day, Osvald says no. Fortunately, he brings the group with him, which leads to the naughty monkey losing its position as the forest's terrifying head.
Mathiesen works With few but strong colors and sketchy figures. The naughty monkey is gradually produced as smaller, gets bigger eyes and slightly submissive throughout his radiance, where he sits and melts what has just happened. In the text there is a melody and a nonsense claim – every look starts with a mistake that rhymes on what should really be said – which creates an engrossing around a narrative that otherwise risks becoming dry and banknote: because the little monkeys are kind, it is invited to the community, since he promised not to bully them anymore.
The story is a utopia: What about all the world's tumbling monkeys in the form of self -proclaimed truth -seekers or presidents could respect the group's will and humbly share the fruit? By 2025, the story of the monkey Osvald is a particularly tasty dream.
