Interview with dick bruna's Characters

B= Bund Pictorial D= Dick Bruna

Mifei will never grow up

Mifei will never grow up, only -6 years old forever. When Mimi went to school, she was 5-6 years old; She was only two years old when she played with the bear. She will never grow to be eight or nine. Children are my readers. They looked me in the eye honestly and told me the truth. B: Why is Mimi a girl instead of a boy?

D: many children have asked me this question. When I created Mimi 53 years ago, I didn't care about this. I just drew a rabbit. One day, I wanted to paint Mimi more beautifully, and I added decorations such as skirts and flowers. From that day on, Mimi became a girl.

b: has Mimi's image changed in the past 53 years?

D: Not long ago, an exhibition was held in the Netherlands, and people arranged all the Mifei in chronological order. After reading it, I was surprised to find that over the years, she has become more human-her head has become smaller, her ears are no longer tilted high, and the distance between her eyes is closer. At first, it was just a rabbit.

B: will Mimi grow up?

D: Mimi will never grow up, only -6 years old. This has something to do with the story. When Mimi went to school, she was 5-6 years old; She was only two years old when she played with the bear. She will never grow to be eight or nine. Children are my readers. I have written works for adults, but those are very different from Mimi.

B: your stories are always warm, and there seems to be little sadness.

D: yes, I always want to show a happy life. But not long ago, I drew a book about death. Death happens in every family, so I want to tell children how to face death in the simplest way.

Not long ago, I drew "Dear Grandma Rabbit", which was about my grandmother's funeral. At the funeral, Mifei saw her grandfather crying for the first time. A few days after the funeral, Mifei went to the cemetery again. She picked a small red plant from the garden and took it with her, which was a favorite plant of her grandmother before her death. Miffy built a small garden around the cemetery, planted plants in it and imagined chatting with her grandmother. Now I will receive letters from some parents. They are very happy that their children can accept death calmly. The children will say, "Grandma is asleep, which is very common."

This is life. I don't always paint the bright side, but I seldom deal with dark subjects, because it is difficult to explain it to children simply. I often go to great lengths to draw for weeks and months until I am sure that this painting is simple and understandable by children. In my story, Miffy occasionally cries, but the ending is always happy. The reason why I always paint warm themes is related to my own life. My grandchildren are still young, and I always wonder what can make them happy. I think a warm and happy life is very important for children under 6 years old, which is what I expect.

B: do you have any habits when you create new works?

D: I don't want anyone to disturb me at work. I will paint alone in the studio for weeks on end, and no one knows what I am doing in it, not even Irene. After the painting, I thought it was ready for publication, so I invited Irene to the studio. She is always my first reader. Irene can't draw, but she is very picky and has a good feeling about painting. She regards Mimi as her granddaughter, too.

every time I wait for her feedback, I feel nervous, just like facing an exam. She sat reading, I made coffee for her and watched her face. She sometimes says, "OK, this book is OK, very good." Sometimes they say, "This book is not good." If she says yes, I'll publish it; She said no, so I just spent a few months re-creating. This is my way of working. I really need Irene. Over the years, I have never been sure about my work, which sounds a bit ridiculous. Sometimes, I will draw two or three versions of the same painting and let Irene choose one.

B: how do you keep childlike innocence?

D: some people get old quickly, but others can stay young and energetic for a long time.

I know I'm 81 years old, but I feel I'm still growing up, still like a child of four or five years old, and fortunately, I'm very healthy. My communication with the children is very good. Sometimes when I go to sign a new book, the children will come straight to me and say to me very directly, "This painting is very good" and "This painting is not very good". They looked me in the eye honestly and told me the truth. They always face you and look at you. I like children very much.

B: you have a lot of money, but your life is simple.

D: managing money is something I have never understood in my life. My son and publishing house are helping me with economic affairs. I just need to do my favorite job-painting.

In addition, painting for children every day is a pleasure. I take this matter very seriously and always try my best to do better today than yesterday. Many people think that I have been painting Miffy for so many years, and I must be familiar with it, but it's not. Now it's as difficult as at first, so I'm always trying.

B: what kind of father are you?

d: I married my wife Irene in 1953 and have three children. However, I don't have much time to spend with my children, which is not good, but Irene has done everything. Now it's much better than before. After finishing the rest of my work every afternoon, I will go home to accompany my wife and grandson immediately. I usually go to bed at 1 o'clock unless my friends come to visit me at night.

B: tell me about your museum in Utrecht.

D: my museum is different from other museums, so it doesn't need to be quiet. Children can play, read and surf the Internet in it. They all like going there very much.