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ART - ARTIST - ARTISTS Stories, Folktales, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Legends, Myths, History, Nursery Rhymes, Fantasy & Facts Scroll down or click on your choice below • SOS: Searching Out Stories/Info - Art-Artist-Artists Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians |
SOS: Searching Out Stories and Information - Art - Artist - Artists
Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)
Book titles, movie titles and online links are in blue and underlined. Click on them to get more information.
Story and song titles are in quotation marks.
To retell any stories, obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
Posts are added chronologically as they are received by Story Lovers World.
1) Here is a story posted some time ago here by Scott Pavelle called "An Artist Tale."
http://www.tresorelle.com.ar/htms/anartisttale.html
He very generously let me use it at this website.
2) Artist whose paintings come to life: The story I recall involved the dragon coming to life and killing the emperor (who had been very greedy, making the artist paint all sorts of things that then materialized into 3-dimensional space). The artist had been very reluctant to use his magical power this way, but the emperor insisted. And from that point on the artist never finished a painting (or something like that).
3) Two Chinese dragon/artist tales come to mind. The first one I learned from Joe Healy, who probably learned it from the book someone else cited. This is the first one I used sound effects on my harp with.
"The King Who Loved Dragons"
It's about a king who was born in the year of the Dragon. and as he grew up was very proud of that. For his birthdays people began giving him dragons in all kinds of media: pottery, metals, wood, paper, pictures etc. He loved dragons, loved hearing about them even after he grew up and became king. Finally he gathered all the artists in his kingdom and said, "I know what the perfect dragon is like and I want a representation of it. It must be exactly as I imagine it. Whoever can do this will get a great reward -from me - but if anyone who attempts this fails, I will have that person executied at once."
[I play fourths--very Oriental-sounding, or only the white strings, that is, not Cs or Fs, which on a Celtic harp are red and blue or black, respecitively) When the king first describes his ideal of a dragon, I illustrate the various details with different sounds--glisses, arpeggios, chords both blocked and broken.. When they are waiting for the artist to come on the final day, I drum my fingers lightly on the edge of the soundboard, and then with the flat of my hand, imitate the sound of his approaching footsteps. Then as he asks the king to describe the dragon again, I illustrate the details as before...only I add a couple more, because in the elapsed time, the king's ideal has changed a bit....
The other story I learned from another teller, I *think* from Linda McNair, although I would be glad if someone could tell me of a written citation:
Bones:
The emperor decided he wanted to have a wall of his palace decorated with a picture of a dragon. He sent an official to bid the corut artist to come at once and satisfy the royal whim. The official was very abrupt and rude, and this annoyed the artist--who refused to come immediately; he was very busy with other projects. A short time later, imperial guards arrived, to tell him that if he does not willingly come with them, they have orders to drag him off to the headsman. He acquiesces. At the palace, in the designated room, he paints a wonderful dragon under the eye of the official. At last the artist says, "I am finished. All I have to do is to sign it, and then I am going home. Please tell His Majesty that it must not be touched or the paint will smear." The official had been sitting with a handkerchief over his nose, complaining of the smell of the paints, and the artist added, "It might be a good idea to open the windows." "An excellent idea!" said the official, gave him a bag of gold, ordered the guards to open the windows, and hurried off to tell the Emperor and court. The guards opened the windows and went off to attend the court. Finally alone, the artist affixed his seal in red paint on a corner of the wall. Quickly, he opened a secret compartment of his paintbox, took out a tiny carved vial, opened it, and put just the tiniest amount of an opalescant hue on the pupil of each painted eye. Then he restored the vial to the compartment, closed it, gathered up his equipment, and left. The Emperor and court, the official and guards, arrived back to the empty room, noticeably cooler from the open windows. They stood back a few feet, admiring what was surely the artist's masterpiece. But suddenly, the dragon moved. And it closed and opened first one eye and then the other. And then it leaped off the wall and flew out the window, leaving behind it an empty wall--except for the artist's seal, down in one corner.
Response:
I found this in another compilation from 2000 - Barra the Bard posted it in response to another request for Art Stories. She had heard it from Joe Healy.
"The King Who Loved Dragons" (this is the second synopsis of this story...see #3 above)
Once there was a king who was born in the year of the Dragon. and as he grew up was very proud of that. For his birthdays people began giving him dragons in all kinds of media: pottery, metals, wood, paper, pictures etc. He loved dragons, loved hearing about them even after he grew up and became king. Finally he gathered all the artists in his kingdom and said, "I know what the perfect dragon is like and I want a representation of it. It must be exactly as I imagine it. Whoever can do this will get a great reward fromme. - but if anyone who attempts this fails, I will have that person executied at once." Not surprisingly, not too many of them were enthused about this commission. But finally one young artist stepped forward and agreed to try. He asked the King many questions, about how the dragon looked, and its stance and color and so on. But he said, it would take him a year and a day to do it. That seemed reasonable to the King, who said,"Very well. I will expect you to bring it to me exactly a year and a day no lather than this hour." The artist bowed and left. Time passed, as it does, and the King was more and more excited about finally being able to hold his perfect dragon the closer the day came. At last the day did cpome, amnd one hoour before the deadline, the artist arrived carrying a folded easel and paintbox and a roll of canvas. The king said, " I am very pleased to see you kept your word and came. The royasl executioner is standing right over there. Now show me your picture. " "I am glad to see your Majesty has not forgotten me. and that you look so well." said the artist with a bow. Then he set up his easel and began asking the king again the details of how he imagined it while the artist stretched his canvas amd set out his paints. The King was growing very impatient. "You don't have my dragon. You are going to lose your head." "Wait sire, said the artist. "I still have five miunutes remaining of the time we agreed that I would have." Taking the brush in his hand, he swiftly painted the dragon, and stood back so the King could see it. The King (and the court including the executioner) looked at it. "That's it. " cried the King in delight/ "That's my dragon! That's exactly right. It's perfect. But it only took you five minutes to paint it . Why did you ask for a year." "Because your Majesty" said the artist, "it took me a year to learn to paint it in five minutes."
Judy S. 1/21/06
4) This sounds like "The Magic Paintbrush" - there are several versions - one features a boy as the artist, the other a girl.
Below is the Yep/Demi book. Additional information and new and used books at:
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush (Reading Rainbow Book)
There are many other new and used books with this title and beautiful artwork:
The Magic Paintbrush (Read it Yourself - Level 5)
by Fran Hunia.
Magic Paintbrush
The story in this book concerns Nib, a street boy and talented artist, who rescues an old wizard. His reward is a paintbrush capable of creating and making real everything he paints. When the king of the land, nicely garbed as a Regency dandy, discovers Nib's talent and wishes to use it to increase his own power, the boy paints him a navy and sends him out to sea in a monstrous storm. Tossing away his magic brush, Nib chooses to create art from the heart rather than from magic. It's hard to tell whether the point of the story is that magic is a double-edged sword, or that absolute political power is evil, or that the true purpose of art is not to paint things as they are but to seek beauty in the midst of ugliness.
The Magic Paintbrush
The Magic Paintbrush
5) There is a story in which the King askes for a golden tree. the artist paints one on an island. The king asks how he is to get to it. The artist then paints a sailing ship. The king gets on the ship and when he's in the middle of the ocean the artist paints a storm and the ship goes down. This version is in Traditional Chinese Folktales: Chung-Kuo Min Chien Ku Shih
More information at:
Traditional Chinese Folktales: Zhongguo Min Jian Gu Shi (North Castle Books)
Set in old China, these stories tell of faithful lovers ("Liang Shanbo and Ju Yingtai" choose death over parting, but are reunited as butterflies); add legend to history ("Meng-Jiang Nyu" seeks her husband, conscripted to build the Great Wall, and The Secret in the Moon Cake remembers the oppressive Mongol rule); describe transformations (The White Snake becomes a beautiful and faithful wife); and express religious attitudes (trickster Monkey is commanded to protect a devout priest). Several of the 12 stories may be found in other collections, notably Sanders' Dragons, Gods & Spirits from Chinese Mythology (World Mythology Series)
6) There is also a Chinese story about a girl who makes beautiful lace. The emperor orders her to court to make lace for him. When she pricks her finger and drops blood on the lace the animals she makes come to life. The emperor is greedy and demanding and in the end she makes a lace dragon that comes to life and devours him. My version is called Sister Lace and it's in an illustrated anthology called The Moon Maiden and Other Asian Folktales
7) Somewhere there's a sentimental story about a sick child who decided to die when the last leaf fell from the vine which was all she could see from her tenement window; but a painter (who died himself during her illness) had painted the leaf in place. By the time she found out, she had recovered...
Response:
The sentimental story is O. Henry's The Last Leaf (Creative Classic Series). It's available online in several sites.
http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1303/
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lastleaf.html
http://www.readprint.com/work-840/O-Henry
Last Leaf (Jamestown Classics)
Reader: This is a classic that can be read over and over. well worth finding a copy for your library. it illustrates perseverence, will to live, and above all...compassion of spirit.
8) Magic Paintbrush
This classic Japanese folktale, accompanied by stunning paintings by award-winning illustrator Gennady Spirin, gently explores the nature of love, promises, and betrayal. Osamu was a sail maker who lived high above the sea. "As he pulled the warp and weft of his sail together, he would often think...
The Crane Wife
The Crane Wife (Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize Library)
More information and new and used books/audio at:
Pygmalion in the Classroom: Teacher Expectation and Pupils' Intellectual Development
Pygmalion (Penguin Classics)
Pygmalion (Dover Thrift Editions)
9) One story that came to mind was the story of the 3 Identical Dolls (see Three Dolls (Identical) in SOS at:
http://www.story-lovers.com/liststhreedolls.html
In one version the last hair comes out twisted and curved in the 3td doll so it is the storyteller because he puts his own twists and turns into everything he hears. You could even make the last person who guesses the secret of the doll a storyteller (who thinks out of the box, so to speak).
10) Doesn't Naomi Baltuck have a book out called something like Apples From Heaven: Multicultural Folk Tales About Stories and Storytellers
Response:
It is a wonderful book full of multicultural folktales about stories and storytellers. A must-have for your collection. Each story also has a quote at the beginning. At the end of the book is this last quote:
"I jumped in the saddle and rode away
To tell you the stories you've heard today.
I jumped on a spoon and away I flew
And you've heard all my stories, so God bless you.
I jumped on a spindle and away I spun
And God bless me! My stories are done."
(Romanian folk saying)
I think the suggestion about "The Three Dolls" would be a great story to share, it is one of my favorites. David Novak has an adaptation in Ready-To-Tell Tales (American Storytelling)by Holt and Mooney.
See also SOS compilation at: http://www.story-lovers.com/liststhreedolls.html
11) There are so many ways to approach this topic!! I think Marilyn's suggestion about checking the Baltuck's Apples From Heaven
Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
12) I like the story of the woman (whose name I forget, but she was featured on a US postage stamp and her work hangs in the Womens arts Museum) left her home in Eurpoe in the 1600's with her daughters in tow and went to South America and painted the flowers and animals their ala Audubon (cool spiders!)
Response:
I think the woman you're talking about is Maria Sibylla Merian, the naturalist-artist who painted in Surinam. There is a marvelous history book Women on the Margins: Three Seventeenth-Century Lives(Natalie Zemon Davis) (1995) that includes the story of her life.
13) Here's a little true and historical story about the musician Boccherini.
In his day (he worked between Mozart and Beethoven), "serious" artists depended on patronage. For some years Boccherini was the court composer for the Emporer of Prussia. Now, in those days to be aristocratic required learning something of the arts. Kings and emporers were often amateur musicians. Boccherini composed many pieces for combinations of instruments that could be performed by his employer and other members of the court. Once when the King of Bavaria was visiting the Prussian court, the Emporer pulled out a trio by Boccherini. The three of them sat down and played through it a few times. After a while the King of Bavaria asked "so, maestro, what do you think?" Boccherini replied with a polite flourish, "Majesty, you performed it like a king." The Emporer arched his eyebrow, so Boccherini added "And you, Majesty, you performed it like an emporer." The King of Bavaria smiled and said "and you, maestro? How did you perform it?" Boccherini said "Your majesties, I performed it like a musician!"
14) The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush
Portrait painters used to travel the rural areas and offer to paint portraits ...the protraits were pre-painted except for the face. Once photography came along (in the Civil War--but daVInci had a working camera and lens in his time!) we bagn to see pictures of everyone--not just the rich and we also began to see life as it was--battlefields, poverty, etc (A friend of Katherine Windham--who is heself a wonderful photographer--showed me a photo taken at Jefferson Davis' inaguration as president of the Confederacy. In the foreground was a black man, a coachman. He had his back turned to the inagural platform. Very telling)
15) Magic Paintbrush (Robin Muller) tells of boy who learns how to use his talent against those who would have him misuse it. And when the Library Summer Reading program was "Picture This, Imagine That" - I add a few drawing stories - I'd done "Wild Bird" a lot, so I went to the Richard Thompson site - and also used his books.
http://www.drawandtell.com/pictales/hptindex.html
16) What about "The Three Ugly Aunts"? It is is one of Angela Carter's Virago Book of Fairy Tales
Richard M. Germany 1/21/06
17) "The Magic Brush" - a version is on my website
http://www.rosethestorylady.com
The story involves painting and persistently developing your talents. It also deals with integrity and honoring those who supported you in the developing of that talent.
Rose the story lady 1/21/06
18) A Weave Of Words
Ina V.D. 1/22/06
Here is how it appears in "Bare Bones - True Love" as contributed by Cathy M.
It's a beautiful story!
#56 - "Anait" - a folktale from Armenia
[Bones taken from Golden Fleece: Tales from the Caucasus
Bones:
Once there was a King and Queen who only had one son, Vachagan. Well formed he was and clear of voice, and many princes wanted to call him "friend," but he preferred to hunt alone; alone, except for his faithful servant Vaginak, and his sheep-dog, Zangi. Nor did they make a show of their outings, but wore the plain huntsman's clothing.
One day, after a long, hot day of riding, they welcomed the sight of a village well and rode up to get water. Surrounding the well were many fine maidens, but one had a pitcher, and it was she who Vachagan asked for water. But instead of handing him the pitcher, she filled and emptied the container six times before offering him the water.
"Why do you tease me so?
"I don't tease you," she scolded, "But I am keeping you from cramping, which is what would happen if you drank the chilled water from the well after such a hot day."
The Prince was pleased with the answer, and asked her name.
"Anait. What is yours?"
"Would you prefer truth or a lie?
"Truth, of course."
"Then wait, and I promise you will learn it."
This was the maiden he wished to marry, and after much arguing, he gained permission from the King to marry a shepherd's daughter. His servant, Vaginak, was sent with many presents, which pleased Anait's father no end, but he left it to her choice.
Anait looked up from her loom, and asked, "What trade does the prince follow?"
"Trade!? He's a prince!!"
"Princes can become paupers. I will only marry him if he has a trade."
The King and Queen hoped this would dissuade Vachagan from his desire, but he asked for the counselors to find him a trade. They finally decided that weaving was a noble pursuit, and they brought a master weaver from Persia; from him Vachagan learned the fine arts, and in a year the prince had created a brocade tapestry for Anait's wedding gift.
In time Vachagan's parents died, and he and Anait became the land's rulers. They ruled fairly and brought learning to their people.
But they were saddened by the disappearance of Vaginak; nor was he the only one of their subjects to have vanished. Finally Vachagan called together a few of his men, decided to travel as laborers so they could investigate the dire mystery. He left fair Anait to rule in his absence.
They came to the town of Perozh, where they found the high priest seeking workmen to help at the temple, but what interested Vachagan was that the priest was only hiring foreigners. Soon he and his men were hired and led to the temple, but once beyond the doors they found themselves in the most horrible of dungeons; dungeons filled with many dead, many near to death. He found Vaginak in one section where the slaves worked at trades, and in the other a great cauldrons bubbled, filled with the dead bodies.
Vachagan boasted that he was a master weaver and could bring the priests much gold. They were willing to try him; they gave him the materials he needed; plus the food and workers necessary for the tasks. With all his wiles and skill. Vachagan made sure to protect his friend, Vaginak, and as many other prisoners as he could while weaving a tapestry of strange runes and great beauty.
He told the priests that only one person would have gold enough to purchase such a carpet, and that was the Queen of his country. One priest carried it to Anait's realm, and in the strange words she read the true, and horrible, fate of her husband and the others. She imprisoned the priest and then summoned her army.
The Queen donned armour, and rode as their commander to Perozh; where they vanquished the cruel priests and freed the prisoners. Anait's heart was made joyful when she saw her beloved Vachagan walk
from the temple, carrying his dear friend, Vaginak, who was too weak to walk.
Great was their rejoicing, peaceful were their years together.
Contributed by Cathy M.
Posted here by Jackie B. 1/22/06
19) I really like "The Legend of Slappy Hooper." Check it out at Aaron Sheppard's "Gifts of Story":
http://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/GOS.html
Mark W. 1/22/06
Created 2005; last update 9/24/09.
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