The artist Rui de Oliveira published Contos de Fadas e Histórias Clássicas. The illustrations selected and gathered here in this project are the result of many different publications and projects by the author. This is a different work that appeals to all ages, from supplying our homesickness to the most elaborate reading for a child. Instead of a selection of pasteurized figures, we have a real work of art.
Rui de Oliveira shows us that this return can be through the watercolored hands of those who use their theoretical training and their international technical experience in favor of a visceral, yet docile, narrative.
We can affirm that this book is perfect for lovers of literature, illustration, and painting because we learned from Mestre Rui that to illustrate it is necessary to know how to read it and be a continuous reader: “any word would be superfluous to explain it”. After all, in a text, not everything is represented and not all images are explained by words, because “for each word, a different image”.
In this work meeting, we see how the master's experience with TV and animation gives movement to his illustrations. And so, in an astonished way, we are driven into the stories. And sensorially, we are absorbing the narrative details of each image.
The work is divided in two parts: fairy tales and classic stories. In fairy tales, we have Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard. The classic stories include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Beautiful Princess Magalona, Melusine and The Tempest. I am sure the public has read most, if not all, of them.
