LOUISE BOURGEOIS Made Giant Spiders and Wasn't Sorry

Here we are at the end of another "THEME MONTH": WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH. My ongoing concern (rant?) about Theme Months is that the topics merit attention ALL YEAR LONG, year after year. Dedicating a month is worthy but risks ignoring the topic for eleven months of the year.

I also worry that the subjects dealt with often focus on familiar figures rather than using the theme to explore and expand lesser known or even untold stories. I began this month with reviews of two such women. If you missed that post, please click on the link and learn more about the inventor of dishwashers and a mathematician whose work made widespread electrification infrastructure possible (and safe).  Throughout the month I've included some "themed" posts and many that were far afield of the theme, because I intend to continue showcasing outstanding books about women throughout the year. 

Yet here we are with two days left in this month dedicated to sharing Women's History.  I will bookend my March posts with this review and one tomorrow, each of which astounded and informed me about women leaders in their fields who were entirely new to me.

Phaidon, 2023

LOUISE BOURGEOIS Made Giant Spiders and Wasn't Sorry is the latest in a series of picture books about groundbreaking artists by Fausto Gilberti. This title is one of Gilbert's series MY FIRST REBEL ARTIST picture books, from Phaidon For Kids. I reviewed some earlier titles HERE, HERE, and HERE. These share the title lines ...and Wasn't Sorry. For anyone who has drawn outside the lines, intentionally, for those who have looked at familiar things in new ways, and (perhaps especially) those who have never imagined such a rebel approach was possible, these books are as important as they are appealing.

In each earlier case I had been familiar with the artists and their works before reading. In the case of Bourgeois and her giant spiders, I knew of her massive but fragile-looking sculptures but not about much of her other body of work. I had never investigated the artist.                

Louise Bourgeois was born into a talented and loving family, in a rural setting filled with animals who seemed like people to Louise. She was NOT afraid of spiders. These illustrations portray her using stark black-line, silhouette-style images on white background. This allows readers to see her as  a very "spidery" girl, quite literally on one spread. Facts about the way her mother affectionately tickled her head (as if with little spider-leg fingers) and wove/repaired priceless tapestries with uncanny talent made me think this factual tale could inspire a magical one in which a spider is turned to a human and spawns a girl-child who lives in pursuit of finding her true identity. 

And yet this book and the others in the series are firmly anchored in factual content, revealed in both text and images that spin webs of fascination and fondness. Louise's early and ongoing trademark in creating visual art featured two- and three-dimensional pieces that exaggerated/distorted/reoriented reality. She experienced some attention throughout her life, but now her works are treasured among museums across the globe. Even so, at the grand age of 87 she chose to sculpt a spider. An enormous construction of metal and marble that stood many stories tall. A first creation of its kind with the suitable title of MAMAN (French for mother). This, the largest of her many spider sculptures, was duplicated in bronze six times. Those extraordinary spiders demand an outdoor space, and they stand outside the entryways of major art museums.                                        

Louise pursued the artistry of her parents at an early age, learning their techniques, adapting and exploring new applications, and continuing to innovate until the end of her life. In the last years of her work, Louise created woven art out of old clothing and linens. Her success did not arrive early, but her imagination and creativity led to objects and art that astound, producing an impressive body of work that eventually gained attention in sold-out exhibitions. 

The books in this series are a tribute to the artistry and design skills of the author/illustrator, Gilberti. From cover to cover, from end pages to interiors, each incorporates examples of the featured artists best known and some lesser known works, but also reveals the human stories and relationships that had inspired (or created mysteries about) their iconic works. Older readers will find mentor text and intriguing details within the text and back matter, while even youngest audiences will thrill at spotting the tiny (and not so tiny) appearances of spiders throughout the pages. Each of the titles in this series sparks an impulse to "try that", to put hands onto media nd see what might emerge. 

Just as other well-known and hidden figures in women's history are likely to encourage investigation into studies and careers in fields typically controlled/dominated by males, this woman in (art) history deserves our attention during March and throughout the year. And that sentence is intended for adult readers, too!  

Graffiti or ART? A BANKSY Picture Book

It's fun to celebrate another title in the series of picture books written and illustrated by Fausto Gilberti. I featured some of the ..".AND WASN'T SORRY" titles in this series, HERE. In each case, his colorful, kid friendly picture books feature acclaimed modern artists who have explored and established very specific styles.Gilberti's books have included Jackson Polluck Splashed Paint And Wasn't Sorry, Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn't Sorry, and Yayoi Kusama Coverd everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry.  These artists used their distinctive styles and techniques to "make their names" in the art world, achieving ultimate goals of museum showings, individual pieces of art that are valued at unimaginable prices, and ranking among other world-renowned artists. Their works are iconic and instantly associated with the artists.

PHAIDON, 2021

Now Gilberti has produced a new title that profiles the persona and works of an equally famous yet unknown artist: BANKSY GRAFFITIED WALLS AND WASN"T SORRY. 

The word "graffiti" originated in the italian language, and ranges from random marks and scribbles to written messages to expressive and colorful art. The surface may be new, crumbling, mobile, or even horizontal.It may be written, chalked, sprayed, or even etched. 

From its past ( and current) status in which random graffiti is illegal and can be punishable by steep fines and/or jail time.

So why would anyone risk that consequence? Why not use traditional materials and platforms? What's the point? 

In common understanding, graffiti stretches back through recorded history, and is generally viewed as either impulsivity, social defiance, or even territorial claims. It has evolved as a widely appreciated art form, with several distinctive artists gaining many of the achievements traditional artists seek through their public works. You can learn more about some of the best known in this link to short profiles.

BANKSY is a universally recognized name, and has created many widely recognized and appreciated images. However, unlike nearly every other artist, Banksy actively avoids being identified. Banksy claims creative credit for much of the art they produce, but also has many imitators  Gilberti adopts a first-person voice, imagining that Banksy is telling their own story. I've used they and their because no one actually knows who BANKSY is, or if that artist is male or female. Their art is produced with paint and stencils, incorporating many familiar images... especially RATS! Wherever Banksy paints, the art is intentional. The work voices messages about politics, society, justice, and the human condition.

The "voice" in this black and white picture book captures the art itself and its disruptive, entertaining, unexpected content and impact. Banksy's installations and "graffiti" hope to achieve that effect. At times they have worn disguises to enter museums and quietly display a piece of art, with days passing before someone noticed that it didn't belong. Even when Banksy participated in an actual museum show, the pieces had to be "found" by patrons, since it had been dispersed among the regular museum artworks. 

Banksy's work makes art accessible and meaningful to everyday people, and the artist does NOT want to earn large sums for their work. Bansky produced and offered one small piece to be  included in an auction. When an enormous bid on the piece was accepted, a alarm blared and a built-in shredder destroyed the art. 

Whether all of that sounds odd or unacceptable or fun or exciting to you, I suspect Banksy would be pleased. And I have no doubt you'll enjoy this picture book, and sharing it with young readers.

Below is one of Banksy's most famous works, which was later painted over by the city, just a few years after it first appeared. Even so, it is considered one of the most beloved Banksy artworks. Much of the art world is dedicated to preserving and protecting artworks across time. Bansky's art, on the other hand, is meant to reach as many as possible, to generate reactions and reflections, and to be valued in part large because it is ephemeral. 

Creativity Coming Through... On the Dot: Yayoi Kusama

I've set myself a challenge to create a new post (or repost a blend of past ones) that will spotlight creativity and imagination while we are all self-isolating and/or finding ways to keep kids engaged without burning out brains on screens.

Phaidon Books has released several titles in a continuing series of kid-friendly picture book biographies about contemporary artists who look, think, and work "outside the box". I've featured some of them HERE, and other artists HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Their most recent title gives me joy on many levels, because I have always adored DOTS! 

Dots in fabrics, dots in art, even patterns from raindrops on hot pavement. Dots with texture? Woo-hoo! 
Bring on the dotted SWISS fabric! 
Something about dots sparks my inner giggles.

Yayoi Kusama figured out that art makes her happy early in her life. Her family directly informed her that art was not something to pursue- not suited to her future as a wife to rich man.

Phaidon, 2020

Author/artist Fausto Gilberti celebrates the creative results of that awareness, dictate, and resistance in this latest title: YAYOI KUSAMA Covered Everything in DOTS and Wasn't Sorry. In this title the author adopts a first person voice to increase readers' insights into Kusama's journey as a person and as a creator. 
In that voice we learn about her talent and determination, including writing a letter to the amazing Georgia O'Keefe, who then paid her an unannounced visit IN PERSON! 
With O'Keefe's support and her own astonishingly original view of the world, she explored, expanded, and used her creations to open eyes, open hearts, and make political statements. She developed performance art pieces, involving herself within the final products.

Gilberti relies on small trim size and black-and-white images, combining line art with expansive interpretations of Kusama and her  work. These pages share the welcoming and whimsical tone of her work. As with Gilberti's earlier titles in the series, simple back matter provides specific details. But it is the book, itself a piece of art, that invites readers to return to it, page after page, and to learn more about the featured artist and her works.

In earlier posts I celebrated  picture book by Liz Garton Scanlon, THINK BIG! It's a lively celebration of the out-of-the-box potential of young people (the younger the better) to find joy and creative expression with an easy recipe of brains, heart, and random surrounding objects. 

You don't need loads of art supplies at home to create art. Use backs of junk mail, shopping bags, waste paper, insides of empty cereal boxes, etc. For media, try collage (No glue? Here's a link for  recipes for homemade glues and paste.) 

Despite my warnings about overdoing screen time, here's a link to a profile of Kusama with her won reflections on the palce of art in her young life, her family, and her eventual career. And here's a link to the retrospective of signature works of her LONG LIFE and many creations.

Meanwhile, use a few minutes (hours) of this gift of time to reconnect with the simple things that cause you to giggle, and use that positive energy to create something for yourselves. 

ARTISTS at WORK: Creativity Sparks Reflection

Two vastly different picture books arrived in my mail recently, both sent to me by PHAIDON PUBLISHERS. Their focus is on global publishing of books devoted to the arts, and these are two new additions to their CHILDREN's book catalogue. I will be donating them to my library system now that I've read and shared them, but not before I dive into each several more times. 

Phaidon Publishing

WRINKLES is created by JR, a photographic/installation/public spaces artist whose work and canvas ARE global.
I'd be tempted to classify this book as free-verse poetry. The seemingly simple and accessible text, suitable for a very early reader, can also be viewed as an ode to life and love and human nature. With artfully framed photographic portrayals of wrinkles on portions of faces of individuals from around the world,  every aspect of expression becomes an artistic revelation. Without the back matter, this is a glorious invitation to step away from our absorption with youth and beauty and screens to realize how many stories and how much excitement and drama and laughter can be read in the lines of the faces that surround us. In our agist, interventionist society, the message is automatically conveyed that wrinkles are not something to be desired or appreciated in others. 
One pass through this book proves the opposite.
Repeated passes allow readers OF ANY AGE to dive deeply into the truth of the text and the images. 

Excerpts from Amazon.com/Books

But about that BACK MATTER: 
Each of the pictured faces belongs to someone in the world who participated in a global art project designed and executed by the artist/author, JR. Each photo is reproduced in thumbnail format in the back with a brief personal biography delivered in first person voice, including age and location.
Following those pages is a map and short text describing this art project, in which each photo was enlarged to mural size and mounted on an outdoor surface of a building in their home town/city.
Following that is a short autobiographic note from JR with some photo images of him at work/play with his "tools of the trade". 
Finally, the end papers are a quirky surprise.
Let's just say that if you ever tried to apply wallpaper you'll appreciate those end papers even more.

The second title is YVES KLEIN Painted Everything Blue and Wasn't Sorry, by Fausto Gilberti.  

Phaidon Publishing

 The Italian author/illustrator of this bio-profile of artist Yves Klein took an innovative approach to share Klein's rule-breaking and boundary-stretching approach to art. 

The figures representing the artist and his creative journey blend angular, surreal, and fluid images on pages limited to black, white, and the shade of blue Klein created and labeled INTERNATIONAL KLEIN BLUE. His career and recognition grew from his renowned sense of wonder- at the magnificence of this particular color of blue and at other ways to generate art, including fire, water, and wind applied to a variety of surfaces and with innovative techniques. His extraordinary explorations included rocket design, costuming, photography, and music, to name only some of the outlets for his imagination. 

Excerpt image from Amazon.com/books

Gilberti also created the picture book bio: Jackson Pollack Splashed Paint and Wasn't Sorry (2019). I hope these are only two of many more to come, since these picture books make contemporary art approachable and enjoyable to young readers.

This, too, has additional black matter to provide further details on the timeline, locales, and actual lived-life of this wildly creative man. His life was cut short at age 34 (heart attack) but he accomplished huge amounts and made a dramatic impact on the art world in those few years of productivity. The INTERNATIONAL KLEIN BLUE endpapers and interior blues provide an experience with a single, saturated color that allows even the youngest readers to imagine how and why "color" itself could fascinate an artist so deeply. 

Both books are a child-friendly square trim size and light weight with high quality interior papers. Both have a vibrance and clarity of presentation that mirror the author's subjects. Both are well-suited to art students, of any age, but also to the youngest readers who will find themselves within these stories and images. Readers of any age will be drawn to return to the books again and again, as I was. 

Both books were provided to me by the publisher with no promise of a review of any kind.