• Skip navigation and go to content
  • Go to navigation

Norman Rockwell Museum

  • Visit
    • Hours & Admission
    • Directions
    • Exhibitions
  • Learn
    • Programs
    • School Programs
    • Curriculum Lab
  • Research
    • Norman Rockwell Collection
    • Archives and Library
    • Rockwell Center for Americal Visual Studies
    • IllustrationHistory.org
    • Frank Schoonover Collection Raisonné
  • Donate
    • Make a Gift
    • Become a Member
  • Shop
  • Calendar
  • Contact
    • Staff Directory
    • Norman Rockwell Museum e-newsletter sign-up
    • Careers
    • What's my Rockwell Worth?
      FAQ

Illustration History

  • History
  • Artists
  • Genres
  • Essays
  • Resources
  • Podcast
  • History
    • Time Periods
  • Artists
  • Genres
  • Essays
  • Resources
  • Podcast
Home > Illustrations > The Enchanted Wood: In the Center of the Clearing Stood a Wonderful Tree (Heart of the World)

The Enchanted Wood: In the Center of the Clearing Stood a Wonderful Tree (Heart of the World)

By Ruth Sanderson | Created: 1991

The Enchanted Wood: In the Center of the Clearing Stood a Wonderful Tree (Heart of the World)

“An old tree can have such character and majesty."

Publication
  • "The Enchanted Wood" by Ruth Sanderson
Publication Date
  • 1991
Medium
  • Oil
Support
  • Canvas
Illustration Size
  • Unknown

©Ruth Sanderson

For Ruth Sanderson, the woods represent our life’s journey, the divergent paths reflecting the many choices that we must make along the way. Many of her favorite fairy tales are about quests, impossible tasks, magical helpers, and happiness that is won through sacrifice. An original fairy tale, The Enchanted Wood is the tale of three brothers who seek to deliver their father’s kingdom from drought by discovering the Heart of the World, a mythical tree in the center of an enchanted forest that is fraught with danger. Though all set out, only the third remains on the appointed path despite temptation, winning his father’s throne and the affection of the girl who helped him along the way. “I wanted the story to have both a hero and heroine, and to be appealing for both boys and girls,” the artist said.

“When I decided to write an original fairy tale,” said the artist, “I knew I wanted it to take place in the woods, my favorite place to play as a child. The story of The Enchanted Wood was inspired by both childhood memories and my continuing love of old trees and the dappled light of the New England woods.” From the curling bark of a fallen birch to the moss covered roots of an old tree, Ruth Sanderson conveys the weight, shade, and even the smell of a deep old wood. The tree at The Heart of the World was visualized as a composite of real trees that inspired her.

Genres
  • Books
  • Interior Illustration
  • Postage Stamps
  • Courtroom Drawings
Global Perspectives
  • North America
Related Time Periods
  • The Decade 1980-1990 The Decade 1980-1990

Support the Project

We need your help to keep this project alive and growing. How can you help?

Submit Work
Make A Donation
About The Project

Stay Informed

Join our mailing list to receive updates about this growing project.

Art Works. National Endowment for the Arts. arts.gov

This project is supported in part by an award
from the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The great band of illustrators have shown us to ourselves and I am proud to be among their company."
- Norman Rockwell

©Copyright 2020 Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Route 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262 | 413.298.4100
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions |
Equity & Justice Commitment