Philipp Fröhlich's painting based on Hänsel and Gretel, called: Now Lie Down by the Fire and Rest Yourselves, You Children (229L), 2018, oil on canvas, 245 x 175 cm
  • Now Lie Down by the Fire and Rest Yourselves, You Children
  • 2018
  • oil on canvas
  • 245 x 175 cm

Lie Down by the Fire

“Now lie down by the fire and rest yourselves, you children, and we will go and cut wood; and when we are ready we will come and fetch you.” This is what the mother says to Hänsel and Gretel in the famous tale of the Brothers Grimm. Lighting the fire is the last piece of domestic care the parents provide before leaving their children to their fate.

In Hänsel and Gretel, the forest is a labyrinthine wilderness, the archetypal unknown. It offers neither shelter nor comfort, and food is reduced to scattered berries. For the children, survival on their own is impossible. The bonfire stands as an island of hope and civilization within this wilderness, a fragile promise of return. Its light marks the last threshold before the unknown that lurks beyond. In reality, though, it is a prop in the parents’ performance, a semblance of care that conceals betrayal.

To make the children believe their parents are close by cutting wood, the father ties a branch so it knocks against a tree in the wind, a primitive sound effect sustaining the illusion of protection. Although the children have overheard their parents’ plot, they continue to cling to hope. They could head back to the family home before sunset, guided by the stones or breadcrumbs Hänsel dropped along the way. Instead, transfixed by the promise of return, they remain by the fire. Hope, bent beyond all reason, becomes a trap.

The fire itself becomes a timepiece. As it consumes its fuel, it counts down like an hourglass, measuring how long the illusion can endure before collapsing into truth. Then the children must accept that no one is coming back.

Theodor Hosemann’s illustration of Hänsel and Gretel by the fire
Theodor Hosemann’s illustration of Hänsel and Gretel by the fire.
Jennie Harbour’s beautiful illustration of Hänsel and Gretel by the fire.
Jennie Harbour’s beautiful illustration of the same scene.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s illustration showing the Trolls from The Hobbit was almost certainly inspired by Jennie Harbour’s illustration.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s illustration showing the Trolls from The Hobbit was almost certainly inspired by Jennie Harbour’s illustration.
The circular setup reminds me of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, though here the light comes from outside the painting.
The circular setup reminds me of Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, though here the light comes from outside the painting.
Matthias Strom, on the other hand, places a candle at the center of the same scene.
Matthias Strom, on the other hand, places a candle at the center of the same scene.
Joseph Wright’s An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump creates the same conspiratorial effect by placing the light at the center, leaving the outside mysterious and unclear.
Joseph Wright’s An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump creates the same conspiratorial effect by placing the light at the center, leaving the outside mysterious and unclear.
So does Ilya Repin’s The Revolutionary Meeting (1883), where a single light gathers figures into a circle and leaves the surroundings in shadow.
So does Ilya Repin’s The Revolutionary Meeting (1883), where a single light gathers figures into a circle and leaves the surroundings in shadow.
Georges de La Tour was a master of firelit scenes, as in his Dice Players.
Georges de La Tour was a master of firelit scenes, as in his Dice Players.
The shelter of Rembrandt’s fire in Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt.
The shelter of Rembrandt’s fire in Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt.
Caspar David Friedrich’s verticality makes the human forms at the fire look very small against the vastness of the forest.
Caspar David Friedrich’s verticality makes the human forms at the fire look very small against the vastness of the forest.
Albert Bierstadt’s The Trapper’s Camp carries an incredible sense of drama.
Albert Bierstadt’s The Trapper’s Camp carries an incredible sense of drama.
Winslow Homer’s campfire looks very professional, but darkness lurks beyond its glow.
Winslow Homer’s campfire looks very professional, but darkness lurks beyond its glow.
In Easy Rider the campfire is where the most important dialogues are held. Once it burns down, during the night, George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) is beaten to death by locals.
In Easy Rider the campfire is where the most important dialogues are held. Once it burns down, during the night, George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) is beaten to death by locals.
The campfire scenes in Stand by Me (1986) create a feeling of shelter from the unknown that lurks around.
The campfire scenes in Stand by Me (1986) create a feeling of shelter from the unknown that lurks around.
My painting shown at Juana de Aizpuru’s gallery in Madrid in 2019.
My painting shown at Juana de Aizpuru’s gallery in Madrid in 2019.
and at Kunsthalle Barmen in 2021.
and at Kunsthalle Barmen in 2021.
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Philipp Fröhlich's painting based on Hänsel and Gretel, called: Now Lie Down by the Fire and Rest Yourselves, You Children (229L), 2018, oil on canvas, 245 x 175 cm
Now Lie Down by the Fire and Rest Yourselves, You Children (229L), 2018, oil on canvas, 245 x 175 cm

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