Anybody born in the 1980s and who grew up watching the American animated sitcom, The Simpsons, would vouch for the show's originality, interesting characters and sassy humour. It has been no different for Soolagna Majumdar, a Kolkata-born, Perth-based graphic designer and illustrator, who recently decided to revisit her memories of the show and come up with her own version of the popular character, Marge Simpson—a stereotypical suburban housewife and mother who is mostly there to support her family and the plot. You might remember Marge Simpson as the lady with beehive-styled blue hair.
In her latest project, Marge Simpson Anime, Majumdar imagines an alternative reality where Marge could truly be happy and live a life meaningful to herself as opposed to playing second fiddle to everyone else.
The art project is a series of watercolour illustrations featuring a liberated Marge Simpson in the shoujo and josei manga style. “Reading a lot of shoujo and josei manga (manga oriented towards girls and women) in my youth and long time appreciation of artists such as Francisco de Goya, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo and Odd Nerdum; the narrative stylings of Satyajit Roy; and my own dream sequences naturally shaped the style of of this work,” says Majumdar.
(From left) Requiem 4 maude flanders; The departure of Marge; She holds herself like a daughter | Marge Simpson Anime by Soolagna Majumdar
The manga style and dreamy sequences together lend a surreal effect to the artwork. “It was not so much of a choice but just the type of sequential storytelling that I grew up with. I guess it was just a normal place for my brain to start with and I ran with that. I guess the way I personally like to explore themes via dream like sequences has a lot to do with it,” explains Majumdar.
The Simpsons's first full episode was released in 1989, and since then the show has created a generation of ardent fans, some of whom still follow it, through its 28th season. The show revolves around the daily life of an American middle class family and makes fun of popular culture. The Simpsons family comprises Homer Simpson, the head of the family and the main protagonist, his wife and a responsible mother Marge Simpson, their eldest child Bart—the name is an anagram of the word 'brat'—who is mischief and rebellion personified, their second child Lisa, an intelligent eight-year-old with liberal political stance and Maggie, the youngest child and the baby of the family.
Marge, though very popular, is one of the most subtle, and perhaps most ignored characters in the show who rarely gets into the limelight. That might leave you wondering why Majumdar chose Marge and not a character with a stronger sense of identity. “I’ve always seen Marge Simpson to be symbolic of the brilliance of the women I’ve seen around me whose own awakenings and full potential has been severely undermined by patriarchy and a plethora of other types of oppression,” says the 27-year-old artist. “I just felt that her character deserved a better narrative. After all, Marge Simpson is so iconic. When we think about modern television she’s not so far off from our own personal radar,” she adds.
Majumdar's portrayal of Marge Simpson as a liberated manga heroine gives a new perspective to the character, highlighting her individuality and identity beyond being a wife and mother. “I was simply fulfilling a personal desire to see this character come home to herself and be truly happy. Her being happy was intentional,” says Majumdar.
