Mr. Horrox and the Gratch

With the help of a spirit called the Gratch, an artist becomes very successful by changing his style of painting

This droll, slyly moralistic tale offers a subtle message about conformity and artistic perception: apparently abstraction, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Though the pictures painted by Mr. Horrox are "very lifelike," his dealer, Mr. Smart, informs him that patrons are weary of "farmyards and cottage doors with roses around them." Undaunted, the Englishman sets out for the fresh fields--and fresh inspiration--of Scotland, where he is cautioned about the Gratch, a playful, 100-year-old sprite. Soon canvases show signs of sabotage in the form of harum-scarum scribblings; unlike Mr. Horrox himself, readers can gleefully identify the culprit at once. Mr. Smart visits, and approves: "They're most interesting . This is just what people want nowadays-- abstracts ." When the truth dawns on Mr. Horrox, he procures some string (the Gratch's instrument of choice) and becomes "even better than the invisible wee spirit." Rendered in a mix of full color and black-and-white, Blake's fey artwork captures the slapdash surroundings of a lovable eccentric. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.