Fabulous!

A Portrait of Andy Warhol

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 
hosted today by Check It Out


Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt)

(pub. 5.24. 2011 )  40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor and Illustrator: Bonnie Christensen

C haracter: Andy Warhol, the artist

 

O verview from jacket flap: 

      "You might recognize Andy Warhol's famous paintings of Campbell's Soup cans and Coke bottles. But do you know about the artist who created these images?
     Andy Warhol was often sick as a child, yet found comfort in reading comic books and most especially in drawing.  Starting with his early days in Pittsburg in the 1930s and progressing to the height of his glory in the 1960s when he blurred the line between commercial art and fine art, this book chronicles an artist's remarkable path to becoming a renowned Pop Art icon."

 

T antalizing taste: 

       "Just out of art school, Andy Warhol boarded a night train in Pittsburgh.  He carried his portfolio of drawings and two hundred dollars.  'You will do something Great! Crazy! Terrific!' his mother predicted...
     'Spot' - the poor, sick, and shy kid from Pittsburgh - ... transformed himself into the Prince of Pop Art.  Art that anyone could recognize and understand."

and something more:  In this picture book biography, Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol, Bonnie Christensen's artwork and text capture the artist's essence.  Just this week I was studying a self-portrait of Andy Warhol at SFMOMA where I give tours to school groups as a docent.  In this self portrait, half of his face is shaded. I often ask children and teens to tell me why they think he chose to paint himself that way, and one response is that it might represent his public vs private side.  I plan to share this book and the following thoughts from the Author's Note with students: "Very few people know that Andy Warhol attended church regularly, helped serve Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless, lived most of his adult life with his mother, and possibly suffered from dyslexia or Asperger's syndrome... Full of contradictions, both stated and implied."  

Django

World's Greatest Jazz Guitarist

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 
hosted today by proseandkahn

 

 Roaring Brook Press Flash Point (MacMillan)

(pub. 9.1.2009)  32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor and illustrator: Bonnie Christensen

    
C haracter: Django Reinhardt

 

O verview from jacket flap: 

      "'When I think about the best guitar players ever, the first name that comes to mind is Django Reinhardt. No one has ever equaled his sound or technique.' - Willie Nelson

     Born into extreme poverty in a gypsy encampment, Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) overcame tremendous obstacles, including a debilitating injury, to become the world's most acclaimed jazz guitarist."

 

T antalizing taste: 

       "Djano doesn't hear the chatter
        Listening to the saxes sigh.
        Trombones moan, clarinets wail
        Jazz riffs curling through the night.

        Jazz Americain, jazz like Django -
                      moving bending
                      changing blending
        Try that rhythm, stretch that measure,
        syncopation.  Twist that line."    

and something more: I recently saw Picasso's Guitars exhibit at MOMA in New York, and was struck by the beauty of his various interpretations of guitars, mostly in a cubist style.  In the exhibit catalog, I read that although he wasn't particularly interested in music, Picasso was drawn to flamenco music -- the guitar music of Spanish gypsies.  And then I found this wonderful nonfiction picture book biography, Django, by Bonnie Christensen about a gypsy guitarist -- isn't it funny how ideas seem to attract similar ideas?  Serendipity!