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Shaun Tan - "Never Ruin a Perfect Plan" - oil on canvas
Never Ruin a Perfect Plan
Oil on canvas by Shaun Tan (2012).
Artwork size: 86 x 76 cm (33.9" x 29.9")
Frame size: 88.5 x 78.5 x 4.7 cm (34.8" x 30.9" x 1.9")
"The composition of this painting is a rough reversal of the previous one, ‘Never be late for a parade’, and also shifts from day to night for visual contrast. In the previous painting, the boys are on their way somewhere, and in this one they are hoping to leave as quickly and quietly as possible."
"The image of a giant strawberry is one I’ve often played with in sketches and paintings. It has a kind of elemental joy that appeals to all senses – better than any gold or holy grail because you can eat it. But the circumstances of the painting are intentionally mysterious. I don’t know what the creatures are, what exactly the boys are doing, nor their reasons, except that it likely involves some kind of theft (or rescue?) using home-made disguises. For me what this picture is really about is the younger brother making a mistake as a result of trying too hard. This trope would be familiar to many, repeated in adventure stories from The Wizard of Oz (sneaking into a castle as a witch’s guard, but with a tail poking out), Star Wars (sneaking into the Death Star as a stormtrooper, but the wrong height), Lord of the Rings (sneaking into Mordor as an orc, very awkwardly, being a hobbit). One’s cover is always broken or sacrificed at a critical moment. The same idea appears in so many fables, trickster tales and myths. It’s also a broader a metaphor for many situations in life where we must pretend to be someone other than we truly are, either for altruistic or selfish reasons, or simply not knowing what else to do. In this case, for the purpose of getting your hands on a once-in-a-lifetime giant strawberry."
"As an illustration, it’s most effective in implying drama outside of its own moment. We can speculate that a lot of things may have happened up to this point, and a lot more are likely to follow as the duo make their escape. Here is just one snapshot of a much larger adventure, as implied by the steps and path leading in and out of the picture. It’s up to the reader, as usual, to tell the larger story in their own imaginations."
"Details to point out: the scattering of bones on the ground add a sense of real peril that felt missing from earlier sketches. The guarding creatures brandish a knife and fork, so maybe they belong to a dark culinary empire (which happens to have the best, freshest ingredients – a ‘forbidden fruit’ idea familiar to many tales, from the Bible to Hansel and Gretel). The stone steps descending without rails seem to be part of a larger building from which a warm light is cast, probably a vaguely religious temple, and the avenue of cypresses in the distance might adds to this impression. Careful framing gives us minimal information, just enough to pique speculation. The autumnal landscape contrasts with the vibrancy of the strawberry, and grey moonlight always gives me the impression of an alternate, surreal world, the flipside of daytime reality." —Shaun Tan