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Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House
(published 2003) is the most
recent title in Prestel's list of excellent art books for children.
Creatively conceived, well written and well designed, these are
the most attractive books of their type on the market.
I had initially received two books to review on Paul Klee last
year: Dreaming Pictures, Paul Klee (1997) by Jürgen
von Schemm and Paul Klee: Animal Tricks (2002) by Christian
Rümelin. As the titles imply, Klee is a perfect subject to
aid the education of art for children, given that he himself sought
to tap the innocence and candour of children's art. In both these
titles, the choice of works is extremely good, allowing the reader
to enter into the magical world of Klee's painting; the effect is
to liberate a child's mind, not inhibit it. My youngest daughter,
then aged eight, promptly produced 'portraits' of the family; ‘Man
with a Big Mouth’ was particularly inspiring.
The graphics in these books are an instrumental factor making the
ideas and questions posed accessible and enjoyable. Different fonts
and letter sizes, as well as sentences in the shape of aspects or
actual forms of the art works all serve to retain the young reader’s
interest. It is very cleverly done and poetic in nature. The pictures
are presented on one page with the text in a variety of forms on
the opposite page. In our family, favourite pictures have subsequently
inspired amusing stories, as well as numerous imitations.
These books are not limited to a narrow age group. On an educational
level, Dreaming Pictures is full of creative ideas to interest
four to six year olds, while also introducing ideas pertaining to
the formal elements of picture making, such as energy, direction
of lines and the meaning implied in colour, suitable for a ten year
old. These might seem like obvious ideas, but there are surprisingly
few good books about art for the very young. An older age group
will pick up on aspects of the text that suggest the poetic nature
of symbols and colour.
Within the Adventures in Art series (now numbering almost
30 titles) there is a wide range of approaches. The books are not
formulaic in any way. Published at the end of last year to coincide
with the Royal Academy's blockbuster exhibition ‘The Aztecs’,
The Secret World of the Aztecs by Ferdinand Anton (2002)
was designed for young children as an introduction to Aztec culture.
Given the massive catalogue that accompanied the exhibition, with
essays by world experts on highly specialised areas of Aztec culture,
Prestel's small and accessible book, scholarly and clearly presented
became, in fact, a very good and quick way to orient the uninitiated
to the exhibition. Ferdinand Anton discusses the subject in a thematic
manner: the history of the Aztec Empire, the rulers, calendars and
pictographs that children had to learn. There are sections too on
Aztec gods, human sacrifice, rituals and daily life. Aztec arts
are well described as belonging to all aspects of life. Like the
other titles in the series, The Secret World of the Aztecs,
is fully illustrated in colour with art works and photographs. Precision
is maintained yet the text is accessible for children of all ages.
Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House, edited by Magdalena
Holzhey (2003), introduces the challenging and, at times, enigmatic
art of the Mexican artist (1907-54), with a certain originality
and aplomb. Holzney presents Kahlo's dramatic life using diary extracts
and photographs to conjure the life of this remarkable and courageous
woman artist. Techniques, such as collage, are described, the tragedy
of Kahlo's life – a large part of which was spent confined
to a wheelchair – are interwoven with her marriage to, and
divorce from, Diego Rivera. The book presents this exceptional individual
in a natural and interesting manner. Perhaps not such an easy subject
for children as other titles such as Hello Fruit Face! The Paintings
of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, or A Jungle Expedition: Henri
Rousseau, the Kahlo book is a welcome addition to the list,
for it expands the repertoire of art education for children away
from the more amusing and light-hearted.
Dr Janet McKenzie, Deputy Editor, Studio International
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