Peter Sís, bees

[asakiyume]

mallorys_camera and I went to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, where we enjoyed especially the art of Peter Sís, who has a way with fine lines, labyrinths, and rich colors (especially his blues I love). His art was better as paintings on a wall than as illustrations in a book; somehow they were diminished in book form, which isn't always the case with picture book art.

Here's a picture from a book he did about Tibet (his father got lost in Tibet for two years).



And here's one of birds on a journey--beautiful as a picture, but the story was posey and precious in a way I dislike.



After visiting the museum, we walked a bit and saw these bees, doing their golden work on goldenrod. Thank you, bees.

Comments

[sovay]

His art was better as paintings on a wall than as illustrations in a book; somehow they were diminished in book form, which isn't always the case with picture book art.

That is interesting; I would think you would want a style, for books, that sized down well.

The blues of the white birds are very beautiful.

[asakiyume]

I would think you would want a style, for books, that sized down well. Right? And this is just my opinion (but mallorys_camera agreed). The fineness of his lines, his style of using many-many of a thing (many birds, many lines indicating waves on the sea, etc.) was breathtaking on a big scale but just kind of ordinary in a picture book. Whereas, for instance, William Stieg's art for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, on display in the next room, looked just as nice in book form as in painting form.

[mallorys_camera]

Definitely.

Also true of Eric Carle.

Neither Carle nor Stieg is as good an artist as Sis, but they're better illustrators because their work reproduces more clearly.

[wayfaringwordhack]

I really like those blues, too!

Happy bees :D

[asakiyume]

And the goldenrod smells *really sweet*

[pjthompson]

I like the artwork, but I know what you mean about seeing it on the wall. I don't think I ever properly appreciated Monet until I saw an exhibit at the LA County Museum. His paintings had a luminosity that books just didn't capture. You could tell what time of day it was in the painting by the way the light was rendered. Same with Diego Rivera.

[asakiyume]

Ahhh, artists who can capture light so magically!

[amaebi]

Literally lost in Tibet?

[asakiyume]

Literally! I forget what the story was--let me see if I can find out.

[asakiyume]

This is from the Amazon blurb on the book:

Vladimir Sis, a documentary filmmaker of considerable talent, was drafted into the army and sent to China to teach filmmaking. He left his wife, daughter, and young son, Peter, thinking he would be home for Christmas. Two Christmases would pass before he was heard from again: Vladimir Sis was lost in Tibet.

And this comes from a synopsis of the play made based on the book:

Peter's father, Vladimir, has been sent to Tibet to make a documentary film just as the nation is being invaded by the Chinese. Separated from his party, Vladimir must trek alone to the capital of Lhasa while his angry and injured son struggles to bring his father to life through his fantastical letters.

... but obviously in all cases some fictionalization has gone on....

Prosy posey precious books

[amaebi]

What is it with these people who, having been children themselves, think children are so different from adults?

Though perhaps they're all Chicken Soup for the Soul people, themselves.

Re: Prosy posey precious books

[asakiyume]

I think that book was aimed at adults, sort of a Jonathan Livingston Seagull-type thing. Just with SUCH a vacuous ending...

[osprey_archer]

Oooh! I love the Eric Carle Museum! And I can definitely see how those pictures would lose something in picture book form; they look like the sort of picture you're supposed to get lost in, which is maybe easier when the picture is bigger.

[asakiyume]

Yes: exactly. When they're larger, you can really spend time with them. Also, the colors are richer in the paintings than in the books.