All About Snow White Playing with her Father’s Trophies by Paula Rego
Title of Artwork: “Snow White Playing with her Father’s Trophies”
Artwork by Paula Rego
Year Created 1995
Summary of Snow White Playing with her Father’s Trophies
Snow White Playing with her Father’s Trophies is a pastel drawing by the Portuguese-born British artist Paula Rego, who is known for her expressive and often disturbing interpretations of fairy tales, myths, and historical events. The drawing was made in 1995, when Rego was 60 years old, and is part of a series of works based on the Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The drawing shows a scene that is not in the original story, but is inspired by Rego’s own childhood memories and personal experiences.
All About Snow White Playing with her Father’s Trophies by Paula Rego
A deer’s head is positioned between Snow White’s legs as she reclines on a couch while wearing a white gown. She looks at the viewer with a defiant and confident expression while holding the antlers in both hands. Other animal heads and skins can be seen behind her on the floor; these are probably her father’s hunting trophies. The villainous queen, her stepmother, is knelt in the background holding a mirror and a knife. She appears to be planning to kill Snow White as she looks at her with envy and hatred.
The image is a nuanced and provoking allegory of female power, violence, and sexuality. It implies that Snow White has an incestuous attraction to her father and is aware of her own attractiveness and desirability. It also implies that her stepmother wants to ruin her because she is envious of her youth and innocence. A sense of horror and disgust is evoked by the drawing’s contrast between Snow White’s white dress and the blood and gore of the animal heads. By portraying Snow White as a proactive and disobedient heroine rather than a submissive and passive victim, the illustration also questions conventional gender roles and fairy tale stereotypes.
The drawing, which has been displayed in numerous museums and galleries all over the world, is one of Rego’s most well-known and contentious creations. Charles Saatchi, a patron and art collector from Britain, currently owns it. Rego has created two additional depictions of the same subject with different poses and finishing touches. Rego claimed that ever since she was a young girl, the tale of Snow White had captivated her, and she had always wanted to delve deeper into its sinister and eerie undertones. She added that the model for Snow White was her own daughter.
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