In this project,I visited south Kensington and the museums,at first I wanted to do a magazine about the museums or the history of human’s inventions
And then I found that they are not even interesting so I changed to doing a magazine about a snuffbox I have seen in V&A museum
This English box proves the international fame of Frederick II after Seven Years War .The idealized portrait on this box shows him in his twenties, when he was a crown prince of Prussia. In fact Frederick The Great was in his fifties when the box was made, that inspired my idea because I thought he became a totally different person when he got older.
At the first of my creative journey, I compared him when he was young and old through the books in the library of our school ,I found out lots of difference and I wondered what caused him to active like that for example what this prince who loved art of peace and a philosopher king who even wrote The Anti- Machiavel with Voltaire waging war and began to turn Prussia into a highly military state? Why this culture prince became a man who dress in a plain blue uniform and shows the act of self effacement?
After reading the books about him, I found out one of the most important reasons is that he was grew up in an environment where he was absolutely forbidden to be what he wanted to be. His father didn’t allow him to study music and Latin cause the struggle between father and son, and then caused him hatched plan to run away to England. And that led to his closest friend’s execution. After all these dramatic experiences, he resigned to his dynastic obligations as hier to throne, but he started threw up defenses around him self and became a highly artificial person. It also caused self effacement in his entire life.
Another thing I found that interested me was the place San Souci, which means “without a care”in English. It situated in Potsdam ,away from the bustle of the royal court in Berlin, Sans souci was the Frederick’s spiritual home, its inner circle is looked to France for its intellectual inspiration. He invited Voltaire And other philosophers to have discussions and dinner there for many years. Combing with the name of the place, it seems that his idea of this place was to live in the world he was dream of and the real world.
Because Trudi told me to use the illustration to tell story. I decided to make this magazine without words and shows the life of Frederick the great and the difference between the world he was dream of and the real world.
In this picture, the left side shows that when he was eighteen years old he and his friend’s plan Of running away to England because he didn’t want to be a king . And it caused his closest friend’s death in the right side.
This picture illustrated when he became a king, he was waging war and turn Prussia in to a highly militarized state, but he also built Sans Souci Palace and continued playing music in there.
The last picture is about his death and his achievement of win the land of Silesian
I used the watercolor to draw the cover, it shows the old king and his shattered dream when he was young, and the snuffbox I saw in V&A museum.
I was very delightful to draw these pictures and it is very interested to experience the edition and printing process. I think that helps me a lot to understand the editors I cooperate with and publishers I’m working with.