Illustrated biographies are one of my favourite genres – especially when they are about artists, or even art collectors. Picture books are not only a powerful way to tell stories, but are also accessible to all, regardless of age, cultural differences or education levels. Children, reading these stories, can learn about perseverance. They may be inspired to make art themselves, or simply learn how artists weave everyday life into their work. With this in mind, here are three new books from American publishers that show ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The only thing I wish is that there were such books about Canadian artists!
Pages from “Roots and Wings: How Shahzia Sikander Became an Artist,” co-written by Shahzia Sikander and Amy Novesky; illustrated by Hanna Barczyk (MOMA)
“A girl steps into a painting …” is the opening line in Roots and Wings: How Shahzia Sikander Became an Artist, a carefree and whimsical book that recounts the story of Sikander’s childhood in Pakistan and her emergence as a contemporary artist in New York City. Raised in Lahore, Sikander grew up enfolded in the warmth of her multi-generational home, exploring her love of math and reading. Illustrator Hanna Barczyk, taking cues from family photos, fairy tales and Sikander’s 1989 work, The Scroll, uses inks, gouache and acrylic paint to build elements that are then digitally layered together. She is playful yet realistic, mixing lyrical linearity with bold, flat colours. The narrative moves seamlessly between first and third person, distinguishing Sikander's voice from that of her co-writer, Amy Novesky. But always there is wonder. A room is filled with mythical beasts. A cowboy on a red horse prances across a dark sky filled with stars and decorative arches. And Sikander ends up in America where she shares her art with the world.
Pages from “Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-playing Artist Ernie Barnes,” written and Illustrated by Don Tate (Abrams)
In Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-playing Artist Ernie Barnes, author and illustrator Don Tate offers an inspiring account of Barnes, who defined himself on his own terms, pushed multiple boundaries, and used his art as a vehicle for change. Tate weaves a smooth narrative based on his in-depth research and his illustrations are compelling. Barnes, who died in 2009, is in every scene, his facial expressions portraying emotions that range from shame and sadness to pride and excitement. Born and raised in segregated Durham, North Carolina, in the Jim Crow era, Barnes wasn’t welcome in art galleries until he went to college. And his love of art meant he didn’t meet his time’s rigid stereotypes of masculinity. He was bullied until high school, when he took up weight training and became a football player. A powerhouse, he played in the NFL for five seasons. In 1965, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but a fracture to his right foot ended his career. Soon after, in an unprecedented move, he became the team artist for the New York Jets, completing 30 paintings in just a few months. “Football and art were one and the same,” Tate writes. “Both required rhythm. Both required technique. Passing, pulling, breaking down the field – that was an art.”
Written by Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrated by Julia Breckenreid (Cameron Kids)
Dorothy & Herbert: An Ordinary Couple and Their Extraordinary Collection of Art tells the story of the Vogels, an unassuming couple who amassed a priceless art collection in their one-bedroom New York City apartment and then donated it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. They lived for art, the book tells us, showing the couple at home with five abstract expressionist paintings, eight cats and three turtles. The text, by Jackie Azúa Kramer, is dynamic yet minimal. It sets an upbeat pace while allowing Julia Breckenreid’s illustrations to explode off the page. A double gatefold that spans 38 inches shows a SoHo street scene with familiar artists, like Yayoi Kusama, who peers out from a polka-dotted window, and works like Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece. It’s a delightful portrayal of an eccentric couple who spent their honeymoon at the National Gallery of Art and collected some 4,000 works by renowned artists over four decades. It would be outlandish if it weren’t true. ■
Roots and Wings: How Shahzia Sikander Became an Artist by Shahzia Sikander and Amy Novesky, illustrated by Hanna Barczyk. Museum of Modern Art, 2021.
Pigskins to Paintbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Ernie Barnes by Don Tate. Abrams, 2021.
Dorothy & Herbert: An Ordinary Couple and Their Extraordinary Collection of Art by Jackie Azúa Kramer, illustrated by Julia Breckenreid. Cameron Kids, 2021.
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