This Is Dalí
by Catherine Ingram; 
illus. by Andrew Rae
Middle School, High School     Laurence King/Chronicle     80 pp.
5/14    978-1-78067-109-3    $15.95

 

 

 

 

This Is Pollock
by Catherine Ingram; 
illus. by Peter Arkle
Middle School, High School    Laurence King/Chronicle    80 pp.
5/14    978-1-78067-346-2    $15.95

 

 

 

 

This Is Warhol
by Catherine Ingram; 
illus. by Andrew Rae
Middle School, High School    Laurence King/Chronicle    80 pp.
5/14    978-1-78067-014-0    $15.95

 

 

 

 

Each volume explores a groundbreaking artist via text, reproductions, and graphic novel–like illustrations. No harsh truths (i.e., drugs, free love, hard drinking) are glossed over, making the series more appropriate for high school readers than for younger readers, but the engaging text and design also make them accessible to struggling readers with an interest in art. Each spread features one or two short sections with a catchy title surrounded by plenty of white space. When appropriate, reproductions of the artist’s work are shown. Otherwise, clean pen and flat-color drawings illuminate the text, showing events and places from the artist’s life or, for Dalí, dream scenes. Originally published in England, these editions are still peppered with Briticisms. It seems a bit odd to read about the very American Warhol and Pollock dealing with “care homes” (nursing homes) or “watching telly,” but these are easily overlooked because everything else works so well. The illustrations fill in the gaps and further engage the reader by showing scenes of the artists at work, their settings, companions, and states of mind. They are particularly effective in Warhol as they resemble his Pop Art comic-book phase. Each volume is bound in heavy, square-cut cardboard — a stripped down look that could be the binding equivalent of an unframed canvas.

From the September/October 2014 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.