STORY PAINTER: The Life of Jacob Lawrence

by John Duggleby ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1998

With the same care that he lavished on his biography of Grant Wood (Artist in Overalls, 1996), Duggleby shows how the vibrant, textured paintings of Jacob Lawrence ""symbolized the search for a better life by people of all races throughout history."" His chronicle sets forth more than 25 full-color reproductions of Lawrence's rich paintings, many of which illustrate the African-American experience, from the migration from the South to the North to the Harlem Renaissance; the artist also honored such heroic figures as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. The language Duggleby uses is straightforward but evocative, often allowing the paintings to ""speak"" for themselves. Young readers will come away not only with a sense of the life of Lawrence, but with a sense of how artists convey meaning with images instead of words.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0811820823

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Chronicle

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1998

Categories: CHILDREN'S