CLAUDE

A frisky dog introduces an Impressionist to action painting in this wordless art studio episode.

As a young artist wielding a paintbrush and sporting the traditional red beret struggles to transfer to canvas a vision of an actual Monet painting, a small pooch makes determined efforts to get the artist’s attention. Nothing works for either one—until a mad bit of tail chasing (by the dog) leads to an upset easel and a flood of splashed paint and doggy pawprints in bright primary colors. The child regards the ruined work; the little one’s expression goes from glum to delighted after a closer look, and in a final scene child and dog—both wearing red caps—sit and gaze appreciatively at their collaborative masterpiece. Younger audiences may find more enjoyment taking in the wildly spattered spreads than the resulting artwork, which in contrast to the preceding happy chaos is displayed at the end within an ornate but confining gingerbread frame. Still, in a closing note, Harris suggests that Claude the dog and Claude Monet the famous painter had much in common and expresses a belief that her own artistic work always comes out better if created in a playful mood. The child, depicted like the dog and easel in lightly shaded outline, is the color of the paper beneath.

Colorful and fast-moving, capped by worthy reflections.