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48 pp.
| Holt |
January, 2024 |
TradeISBN 9781250864666$19.99
(1)
K-3
There are many misconceptions about what art is and what it should do. An inquisitive brown-skinned girl wants to know more about art and asks a series of simple yet profound questions about it. Each question is answered by a different artist, ranging from ancient to modern, world-famous to regionally known. Unlike many art surveys, this book presents a truly global perspective, putting Indigenous and non-Western art side-by-side with well-known Western artists as well as conceptual and avant-garde work. The girl asks questions such as "Can nothing be art?"; "Art can also be sad, right?"; and "Can art be something that I use?" The answers depend on who is doing the responding. Replies vary for the question "How long will it take to make art?": a minute (Keith Haring); an hour (Eric Carle); a hundred hours (Christine Harvey). Should art look like what we see? An impressionist would answer with a hearty yes, but a post-impressionist like Van Gogh might think it's better "when art looks like how I feel." Digitally rendered illustrations feature each artist and a representation of their work. Back matter provides information on each artist and may spark hours of further research and discovery. A thoughtful look at art that will likely motivate budding artists to trust their creative intuition.
Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2024