Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up! 1927

Editor: Arthur Rackham’s watercolour, “Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!”, painted in 1927… there's such an anxious feeling in this scene! The composition, with the three bears around the table, each looking at the other's porridge, really heightens the tension. What do you see in this piece, beyond the surface narrative? Curator: Well, first off, Rackham always gets to me with that eerie blend of whimsy and something… almost unsettling, doesn't he? Those bears are so expressive, right? They’re not just furry creatures; they're stand-ins for very human emotions – possessiveness, indignation, maybe even a bit of paranoia. What really grabs me are the tiny details in the room—the slightly askew paintings and blue dish feel like distortions of a very bourgeois home, mirroring the disruption Goldilocks brought. Does it give you a shiver down your spine, a little? Editor: A shiver, definitely! It makes me wonder, who do you think the painting is meant for? Is it for children or adults? Curator: Ah, the eternal question with fairy tales! I think it appeals to both, in different ways. For children, there's the straightforward story. For adults? Maybe a dark mirror reflecting anxieties about trespass, loss, the chaos children bring into our ordered lives... Think about the moment Rackham created this! Post-war society; old traditions crumbling. Suddenly this painting feels very charged, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. I never would have seen that if you hadn’t pointed it out. Thanks for this fresh perspective. Curator: My pleasure. Makes me think about my own porridge! Off to make a midnight snack... perhaps to safeguard my rations, now.