A unique offering that presents readers with arresting artwork and a compelling life story.
Art and design take center stage in this carefully crafted, elegant, artisanal book.
This stunning autobiographical art book recounts self-taught artist Tejubehan’s journey from an impoverished childhood in rural India, through her family’s efforts to improve their lot in a tent city in Mumbai, and into her adulthood, when she lived as a singer and artist with her husband. The direct, unadorned text has an immediacy that reveals its roots as an orally narrated life story, which was then recorded in Tamil and translated into English. Hand–screen-printed illustrations comprised of intricate linework and patterns of dots underscore elements of the text without being strictly tied to delivering straightforward narrative. In this way, the book emerges more as an illustrated memoir than it does a traditional picture book with interdependent art and text. As a physical artifact, it draws attention to its creation with stiff pages and fragrant, tactile inks. The illustrations themselves are black and white, while the text is set in a sans-serif typeface in colors that change subtly from spread to spread.
A unique offering that presents readers with arresting artwork and a compelling life story. (Art book. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-93-80340-17-3
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Tara Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
An attractive fourth entry in Turner's ``Portraits of Women Artists for Children.'' Efficiently, the author uses her large (8 1/2'' x 11'') format to outline the most important themes in Kahlo's life and convey the flavor of her work. The 14 beautifully reproduced paintings are a good sampling of styles and subjects, while the many photos are also well chosen. The heart of Turner's text is her discussion of the paintings; whether realistic or surreal, Kahlo's art is powerfully symbolic, and Turner does a good job of relating the symbols to the life. Among vital influences on Kahlo's work, her Mexican heritage and marriage to Rivera are emphasized; thornier issues—Kahlo and Rivera's tortuous relationship, her political beliefs, her lifelong poor health—are merely touched on. Still, a good introduction to this fascinating painter and woman. Commendably, the sources, media, and dimensions of the paintings are all included in their captions. (Biography. 8-12)
Pub Date: April 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-316-85651-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1993
First in the ``Rainbow Warrior Artists'' series, which will depict artists around the world: glimpses into the lives and cultures of five members of tribes in the US and Mexico verify their modern, unabashed attitudes toward their various native arts. A Mexican Huichol artist glues yarn to a board to produce a four- foot fantasy of shamans' (and his own) visions; a Spokane paints and combines visual forms; a Cayuga doll-maker and beader uses traditional materials to express contemporary feelings. Also presented are a Chumash dancer and a Taos Pueblo flute maker and player. Proud of their heritage, most choose to live on the reservation while pursuing their art—which may reach New York galleries, the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Smithsonian, or audiences across the country. For each, Moore provides brief information about the tribe, the artist's life, and the art itself, interspersing quotes epitomizing the artists' philosophies and appending activities (``Making Your Own Yarn Paintings''; ``Tracking the Earth's Songs''). Colorful photos of tribal homes and people, in traditional and modern dress, enliven the text. An eclectic approach that may well stimulate other young fingers and feet. (Nonfiction. 8-14)
Pub Date: June 1, 1993
ISBN: 1-56261-105-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1993
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