NEGOSIASI ESTETIKA ANAK DAN NARASI DEWASA DALAM ILUSTRASI THE LITTLE PRINCE KAJIAN SEMIOTIKA VISUAL DAN REPRESENTASI BUDAYA

Abstract

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943) captivates readers through its watercolor illustrations, which are simple yet profoundly meaningful, characterized by plain lines, bright colors, and minimalist compositions that reflect a childlike aesthetic. However, its narrative invites adult reflections on love, responsibility, loneliness, and existentialism, thereby creating a rich cultural dialogue between childhood imagination and mature contemplation. This study analyzes five key illustrations—the boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, the sheep in a box, the rose, the prince’s planet, and the fox—through Roland Barthes’ visual semiotics and Stuart Hall’s theory of cultural representation. Employing a qualitative method based on visual and multimodal content analysis, the research examines visual signs, text-image relations, and cultural meanings within the historical context of World War II, as well as their relevance to art education in Indonesia. The findings reveal that the illustrations embody the spontaneity and aesthetic sensitivity of children, while the narrative text deepens the meaning with philosophical insights, resulting in a dynamic cultural negotiation between child and adult perspectives. In the Indonesian context, this analysis holds significance for the Merdeka Curriculum, particularly in arts and cultural education, with practical implications such as redrawing the illustrations, discussing symbolism, or writing reflective narratives to foster creativity, visual literacy, and emotional intelligence among elementary school students. The limitation of this study lies in its focus on five illustrations without empirical audience data or analysis of local adaptations. Future research could explore Indonesian students’ reception of these illustrations or adaptations of the work within local culture, such as translations or theatrical performances. This study contributes to the fields of children’s literature, visual culture, and art education in Indonesia, offering an analytical model applicable to other works of children’s literature.