We have recently received three new books dealing with the art world. “Meet Me At the Art Museum” by David Goldin is a simple and humorous introduction to an art museum. The two main characters are a ticket stub and a name tag. The name tag is actually a docent who guides the ticket stub through the various exhibits in the museum. These two characters are cartoon-like, while the paintings, sculpture, tribal masks, etc. are real examples in those mediums. The book includes a glossary, as well as, a guide to the art that is shown.
The other two books are biographies of Henri Matisse and Henri Rousseau. Each book details the basic facts of the lives of these men. “The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau” by Michelle Market explains how his paintings were ridiculed for being too child-like; today he is recognized as the first “naive” artist. He is best known for his jungle pictures even though he never had the money to travel beyond France.
“Colorful Dreamer: The Story of Artist Henri Matisse” is written by Marjorie Blain Parker. The book’s initial illustrations are black and white, but as Matisse finds his true calling as a painter the pages pop with the vivid colors that made him famous. Both books have additional biographic information to add to their stories.