Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part I

Today, Maïa brought home these pictures that she's been making over the past few days at daycare. Derek and I pulled them out to take a look after the girls were in bed. We were amazed (though not surprised) that all of them contained Cinderella in one form or another.

So here is Maïa's first theme-based exhibit. Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey.


This is a rare portrait of Cinderella for a few reasons: first, Cinderella is the only element in the composition; second, she seems rather angry in this portrait. This is the new Cinderella, ready to take on the world, and to punch out (or at least threaten) anyone who stands in her way. Also, there is a Frida Kahlo beauty about her here, would you not agree?


This portrait of Cinderella is Dalì-esque in its long lines and appeal to the subconscious. Here, Cinderella sports her never-before-seen mini ballgown. She is also wearing earrings on her unusually large ears. Perhaps another link to Dalì and his favourite subjects.


Cinderella Afloat in Flowers. Reminiscent of the great master, Monet. A shame this piece has been damaged.

Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part II

This is a group shot of the princesses. The princesses are immediately recognizable by their physical attributes in an almost Pop Art approach, reminiscent of Andy Warhol. The one on the left in the yellow dress is Belle, which you can tell from the colour of the dress as well as her brown hair and eyes; the one in the middle is Cinderella, which you can tell from her blue dress, blond hair, blue eyes, and the weird hairband-earring combo that the newer Disney version sports; Sleeping Beauty is the one in the pink dress on the right; the girls in the green dresses are Mulan and Jasmin (the artists has left this particular distinction unclear); and the teeny-tiny girl between Belle and Mulan-Jasmin is Snow White. The pregnant "princess" is not identified.


This is a Picasso-esque drawing of Cinderella; her neck is actually wider than her torso! What flare Maïa has with a marker! In this representation, Cinderella does not have any hair; surely there is symbolism at work here. The image of the flying girl in grey behind Cinderella must be a Freudian element.


This is Cinderella: Larger Than Life. OR Cinderzilla. Certainly a tribute to Peter Paul Rubens.

Nana & Grampa, by Maïa

Maïa drew this picture this morning. She decided that she wanted to make a card for Nana. So she began to draw Nana, who is seen here in profile, wearing a dress and high heels; she's obviously decked out for a ball. Nana is part of a matched set: Nana & Grampa, so Maïa drew Grampa, too. He, too, is wearing high heels, which elongates the look of the leg, as evidenced here.

The best part of this drawing, though, is that Maïa sounded out and wrote both "Nana" and "Grampa" on her own, with only a little help with writing the G. That's my girl!

Hallowe'en colouring, by Maïa

Maïa coloured this picture a few days before Hallowe'en. Notice the clever and creative use of colour. Notice also the little face on the witch's bag: "That's an ogre face." The little dots to the right are musical notes that are coming from the flute (the rectangular object with dots on it — the dots are the holes).

Hallowe'en drawings, by Maïa

The theme for this week at daycare is — surprise, surprise! — Halloween. Maïa drew this cat pumpkin, as she calls it. The lines coming out of its face are whiskers, which is self-evident, once you know. The eyes are in the shape of hearts. And you can see that the cat pumpkin is surrounded by little hearts, three of which have rounded bottoms, but one is done quite well, I would say! Oh, and that black blob on its head... that's a crown (all princesses need crowns, you know).


The main figure in this tableau is the cat at the centre. Note the vertical pupils in the cat's eyes: Derek told her about cats' pupils a couple of months ago. Her capacity to remember such things always amazes me. The figure to the right is Rapunzel. I'm not sure what she has to do with Halloween, but it's a pretty good likeness, I'd say. The figure to the left is another cat, which you can tell by the whiskers, pupils, and myriad claws.