Kay Nielsen – Illustration for The Story of a Mother

“Then she pressed the bramble to her bosom quite close, so that it might be thawed, and the thorns pierced her flesh, and great drops of blood flowed; but the bramble shot forth fresh green leaves, and they became flowers on the cold winter’s night, so warm is the heart of a sorrowing mother.”

Kay Nielsen, Illustration for The Story of a Mother, c. 1910

“The Story of Mother”, a fairy tale written by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, tells a tale of a mother who is tending to her sick child and when she closes her eyes for a moment she finds that the child is gone; taken by Death. The mother then asks the Night to tell her which way the Death went and she goes out to claim her child back. But first she must sing to the Night all the songs that she was singing to her child, only then the Night tell her the way; “Then the mother wept and sang, and wrung her hands. And there were many songs, and yet even more tears; till at length Night said, “Go to the right, into the dark forest of fir-trees; for I saw Death take that road with your little child.” The mother goes out then, into the icy-cold winter night, to seek the place where the Death’s dwelling. The winter setting is perfect for the mood and the theme of the fairytale, but it is also perfect for Kay Nielsen’s illustration which has been captivating to me these last few weeks. The illustration shows the moment in the tale when the mother doesn’t know the way and a thorn-bush offers to help her, but only in an exchange for her warmth. The mother is prepared to give everything to find her child and so she presses the thorns against her bosom to warm them. Here is the description from the fairy tale:

“Within the wood the mother came to cross roads, and she knew not which to take. Just by stood a thorn-bush; it had neither leaf nor flower, for it was the cold winter time, and icicles hung on the branches. “Have you not seen Death go by, with my little child?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied the thorn-bush; “but I will not tell you which way he has taken until you have warmed me in your bosom. I am freezing to death here, and turning to ice.”

Then she pressed the bramble to her bosom quite close, so that it might be thawed, and the thorns pierced her flesh, and great drops of blood flowed; but the bramble shot forth fresh green leaves, and they became flowers on the cold winter’s night, so warm is the heart of a sorrowing mother. Then the bramble-bush told her the path she must take.“

Kay Nielsen’s illustration of the scene is absolutely beautiful, and heart-wretchingly poignant. The simplicity of the scene, the curve of the woman’s body, the bare tree and the blossoms, the moon seen in the distance all remind me of Japanese art. I am also reminded of many of Egon Schiele’s drawings as well. The simplicity of the scene helps to emphasise its emotional depth. The mother’s pale face reveals all the pain and torment that she is feeling. There are shadows under her eyes from all the unslept nights spent tending to her child. And she is dressed in black like the Night and like the Death themselves are. You can feel the coldness in the air and the sharpness of the branches that she is pressing to her bosom. There are even drops of blood falling from her chest onto the fresh, pure white snow. The white blossoms are strange in the middle of the winter, but as the fairy tale tells us, and how touching is this, that the blossoms grew only because the mother’s love was so strong that her heart exuded so much warmth and love.

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