As a follow-up to last Monday’s post, today I’m sharing five picture books about twentieth century American artists whom you might not know much about. Here they are in chronological order: Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), Horace Pippin (1888-1946), Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), and Jean-Michel Basquait (1960-1988).
Cowboy Charlie: The Story of Charles M. Russell by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1995)
This book about Charles Marion Russell describes his childhood spent drawing and dreaming of the West and his travels and jobs after he left home at age 15. It’s a comprehensive, vivid biography with illustrations full of colour and action. (Though you’ll want to look up his paintings since the pictures don’t convey their style.) Cowboy Charlie ends with a short bio of this famous artist of the West. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013)
This chronological biography of self-taught African-American artist Horace Pippin is a story of hard work and overcoming difficulties. The scrapbook style illustrations give a good sense of Pippin’s artwork. The book includes a one-page historical note, detailed author and illustrator’s notes, a list for further reading, and sources of quotations. Recommended for ages 6 to 9.
Mr. Cornell’s Dream Boxes by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books, 2014)
The short text of this picture book is addressed to the reader (“If you had lived on Utopia Parkway not so long ago…”) and describes Joseph Cornell’s shadow boxes (assemblages) and the memories and dreams that motivated them. There are no biographical details in the text, but it does include his last exhibition put on for children and mentions him caring for his brother and writing in his journal. The simple illustrations (sometimes in muted shades) focus on the dream boxes. The author’s note is four paragraphs long and accompanied by three black and white photos of the children’s exhibition. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.
(Side note: Canadian singer-songwriter Christine Fellows wrote a song influenced by Cornell called “Saturday Night on Utopia Parkway.” Give it a listen!)
Whaam!: The Life and Art of Roy Lichtenstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (Abrams, 2008)
This biography for older children is illustrated by Roy Lichtenstein’s work and also paintings that influenced him. I appreciated that it shows how he came to the Pop Art comic book style he is known for and how he fits into his historical context. The book also explains his technique (Benday dots, black outlines, flat primary colours) and the meaning and humour behind his art. The text is long and includes many quotations. The books ends with a glossary of 40 terms and artists, endnotes (sources of quotations), bibliography divided by category (books, articles, videos, etc), museums where you’ll find his work, acknowledgements, illustration credits, and an index. Recommended for ages 10 to 12.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (Little, Brown, and Company, 2016)
This picture book about Jean-Michel Basquiat describes how he wanted to be a famous artist since his childhood in Brooklyn. It shows how his mother influenced him: “From her he learns that art is not only in the poetry books she reads to him or the theaters and museums they visit. Art is the street games of little children, in our style and the words we speak. It is how the messy patchwork of the city creates new meaning for ordinary things.” Art helped him through hardships like a car accident and his mother leaving due to mental health issues. The illustrations are collages and paintings on found wood, which definitely fit with Basquiat’s style. The book ends with a one-page bio, description of motifs and symbolism in Basquiat’s work (political messages, black culture, NYC, etc.), and author’s note explaining how Basquiat influenced him and what he hopes young people will learn from him. N.B. His drug addiction is mentioned in the author’s note but not the text (he died of a heroin overdose at age 27). Recommended for ages 6 to 9.