Back to School with Artists

At the start of the school year, a little attention to art history seems appropriate. This very sparse smattering includes artists ranging from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first, with diverse styles, subjects, and life experiences. Although his approach is not one I typically gravitate toward, I find the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, with his contemporary aesthetic and focus on social issues, particularly arresting. 

 

The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audobon, by Jaqueline Davies, ill. Melissa Sweet (Clarion, 2004, 32pp, ages 4–9) The prolific Jacqueline Davies and my perennial favorite Melissa Sweet join their considerable talents to document the early life of the man (1785–1851) whose name has come to be synonymous with birding and nature preservation. With gentle humor and meticulous research, Davies reports the young immigrant Frenchman’s persistent study of birds in nature, following, listening, sketching, observing. His perseverance led to breakthrough discoveries about migration now considered common knowledge. An inspiring, lyrical, and beautiful history, worthy of an artistic naturalist.

Vincent Van Gogh and the Colors of the Wind, by Chiara Lossani, ill. Octavio Monaco (Eerdmans, 2019, 32pp, ages 8–12) Lossani and Monaco’s collaboration is brilliant in every sense. Informed by Van Gogh’s (1853–1890) letters to his brother Theo, this title traces the Dutch artist’s path from childhood to the clergy and on to painting and his tortured quest for acceptance. Monaco’s spreads beautifully showcase fourteen photographed reproductions of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. Lossani deals sensitively with Van Gogh’s mental health struggles and suicide, focusing on the bond between the brothers and Van Gogh’s quest to capture the world he experienced in his innovative paintings.

Vincent van Gogh: He Saw the World in Vibrant Colors, by Amy Guglielmo, ill. Petra Braun (DK, 2021, 56pp, ages 6–10) I found this simple book surprisingly inspiring. Guglielmo and Braun effectively capture the pathos of van Gogh’s restless spirit, his love for beauty, and the meandering path he followed in pursuit of a place in the world. The book prompted fruitful meditation on popular perceptions of what it means—and what it takes—to be successful. Also moving are the descriptions of brother Theo’s practical and moral support and the efforts of his wife, Jo van Gogh, to promote the artist’s work after his death. Suggested activities for budding artists appear in the back of the book and on nearly every page.

Me, Frida, by Amy Novesky, ill. David Diaz (Abrams, 2015, 32pp, ages 5–7) and Frida Kahlo, by Amy Guglielmo, ill. Natalia Rojas Castro (DK, 2023, 56pp, ages 7–9) These two titles provide complementary experiences of the life of this remarkable Mexican painter (1907–1954). Diaz’s bright, bold art suits Kahlo’s personal and artistic style. Novesky’s rendition is shorter and focuses on Kahlo’s formative sojourn in San Francisco alongside her husband, painter Diego Rivera. Guglielmo’s more detailed account spans Kahlo’s lifetime, taking in her struggles with her health and marriage, as well as her remarkable perseverance and her reconciliation to Rivera. While Kahlo’s extramarital activities (not discussed here) are a subject to be reckoned with, her enduring legacy and her commitment to representing her country of origin make her an important twentieth-century cultural figure.

On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art Is Changing the Tide, by Joanna Ho, ill. Cátia Chien (Orchard, 2023, 48pp, ages 5–12) Ai Weiwei (b. 1957) grew up in a 1960s labor camp in China because his parents were among the artists and intellectuals suppressed by the Chinese government. Ho’s inspiring narrative describes how Ai Weiwei, who has lived in Europe since 2015, uses art to call attention to the plight of refugees worldwide. Drawing on bold innovation and his personal experience of oppression, he reminds those who want to protect their own comfort by erecting stringent barriers that “we all belong to one humanity.”

Other titles on my radar:

Bottle Houses: the creative world of Grandma Prisbey, by Melissa Eskridge Slaymaker, ill. Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt, 2004, 32pp, ages 5–9)

Claude Monet: the painter who stopped the trains, by P.I. Maltbie, ill. Jos A Smith (Abrams, 2010, 32pp, ages 6–9)

Monet Paints a Day, by Julie Danneberg, ill. Caitlin Heimerl (Charlesbridge, 2012, 32, ages 6–12)

Jonkonnu: a story from the sketchbook of Winslow Homer, by Amy Littlesugar, ill. Ian Schoenherr (Philomel, 1997, 32pp, ages 8–11)

A Boy Named Isamu, by James Yang (Viking, 2021, 40pp, ages 3–7)