IN FAIRYLAND

A selection of Grimm fairy tales showcases the late Fischer’s illustrations.

“The Musicians of Bremen” displays Fischer’s signature lively, minimalist black outlines brushed with bits of bold color to represent the clever animal musicians, judiciously arranged across pure white backgrounds. For night drama, the animals appear as black silhouettes against dark blue. In “Riff-Raff,” Fisher draws the self-indulgent rooster and hen with rougher, freer lines and uses what looks like colored pencil in muted hues instead of ink, orchestrating their hilarious antics against his preferred white backdrop. The wily, heroic cat in “Puss in Boots” is rendered in expressive, sketchy black-pencil outlines, capturing his facial expressions and postures. Vignettes of the cat alternate with full- and double-page dramatic scenes. “Rum-Pum-Pum” features characters from Grimm tales drawn in black pen and ink; they march across plain pages in joyous, wordless visual processions. The final section, entitled “Fairy Tale Pictures,” provides the full texts of “Red Riding Hood,” “Lucky Hans,” “The Hare and the Hedgehog,” “The Brave Little Tailor,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Seven Ravens” with an impressive single-page, black-and-white drawing for each tale, visually incorporating its sequential events in surprising detail. Overall, the vigorous, energetic, humorous, visually delightful folk quality of Fisher’s art proves the perfect match for this Grimm assemblage. A brief biography of the artist concludes the collection.

A sprightly collection of perennially entertaining Grimm tales introduces Fischer’s brilliant illustrations to a new generation.