Meet Edgar Degas - Hardcover

Newlands, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0921103484 ISBN 13: 9780921103486

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 1988

Synopsis

A non-fiction book for children

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- In an unusual approach, this book presents and explains the paintings of Edgar Degas in a simulated first-person narrative. An introduction explains that Newlands has drawn on letters, notebooks, and personal anecdotes to give Degas "a voice that we hope suits him." The explanations "Degas" gives for each of the paintings are primarily centered around subject matter: why Degas chose a particular subject and what he was trying to express. The narration points out that while some paintings are portraits of family members or friends, those of dancers, jockeys, and workers are recreations of casual moments of daily life. The text reiterates Degas' interest in both movement and the life of his time. The tone is casual and friendly. However, there is no discussion of Degas' style or technique and only passing references to the design elements and composition of the paintings. These omissions, coupled with the choice of a fictionalized narration, will limit the book's use. This is an attractive book with inviting stretches of white and unusually high quality reproductions, but students needing information on Degas' life, technique, or the art of his time will prefer the comprehensive article in Great Artists of the Western World (Marshall Cavendish, 1987). --Eleanor K. MacDonald, Beverly Hills Pub . Lib .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Produced in conjunction with a recent retrospective of Degas, this book was designed to introduce children to the artist. Newlands uses the device of having Degas himself "speak" directly to the reader, explaining 15 of his works. This is a somewhat tricky and risky maneuver, but Newlands pulls it off--the artist's "voice" rings true as he explains such subjects as his self-portrait, painted when he was just 23, and progresses through a sampling of many of his subjects: dancers, jockeys, bathers, family and friends. The author has done a fine job of selecting paintings (and one sculpture) that are particularly revealing about Degas, his life and his beloved Paris; readers will get a genuine sense of what motivated and inspired his art. The text is clear and informative, offering details that will interest adults as well as children. All ages.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0921103484
• ISBN 13: 9780921103486
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Illustrator: Degas Edgar