Alice in Wonderland : Through the Visual Arts

The stories that Lewis Carroll based around the character of Alice have proved among the most enduring literary creations of all time. For almost 150 years they have led a double life as classics of children's literature and as endlessly fascinating sources of inspiration for all manner of artists, writers, filmmakers and avant-garde figures. Beneath the surface of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Alice through the Looking Glass" lie important questions about individuality and self-knowledge, time and space, the relationship between fiction and reality and the function and authority of language itself. In this way, Alice and her adventures have become a metaphor for artistic engagement and the quest for meaning per se. For the first time, this book examines a wide range of the art that has been inspired by the Alice stories, including Lewis Carroll's original illustrations, Tenniel's iconic characterisations, Victorian games based on Alice, Surrealist paintings, sculpture, artist's books, film, psychedelia, comics, photography and installation. The authors bring fresh insights to Carroll's biography and the times in which he lived and the book includes a new fairy tale specially written by Carol Mavor. Artists featured include Balthus, Tim Burton, Peter Blake, Max Ernst, Nan Goldin, Grayson Perry, Pierre & Gilles, Annie Leibovitz, Rene Magritte, Sigmar Polke, Paula Rego and many more.

Featured in the April 2012 Creative Enterprises newsletter.
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