Kiki Smith (American, b. Nuremberg, 1954) Come Away From Her (after Lewis Carroll), 2003 Etching, aquatint, drypoint and watercolor on paper Miami University Art Museum purchase 2004.3
Come Away from Her is Kiki Smith’s own rendition of a
manuscript drawing by Lewis Carroll for his book Alice’s
Adventures Under Ground (1864), describing a scene where
Alice tells a group of birds what her cat likes to eat. This piece
subliminally deals with the complex topics of adolescence and
emerging sexuality in young girls as they begin to discover
their new and changing bodies. The cloudy mass of birds is a
nod to the natural development of the human body, tying
adolescence to the cyclical nature of life. This piece contrasts
the wild aspects of sexuality and creation with the controlled
and reserved figure of Alice.