Fabulous! A portrait of Andy Warhol
By
Bonnie Christensen
Bibliography
Christensen, B. (2011). Fabulous! A portrait of
Andy Warhol. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Summary
Andy
Warhol grows up as a scrawny, blotchy-faced kid who constantly draws. He is able to find work as an illustrator,
but continues to draw and paint. From
the advice of a friend he starts to paint everyday things, such as Campbell
Soup cans and becomes very famous for his style and subjects.
Reviews
FABULOUS!
A Portrait of Andy Warhol. (2011, April 15). Kirkus Reviews, 79(8),
678-679.
The
"fabulous" life of Andy Warhol is made
accessible and understandable via this child-friendly look at the life and career
of one of America's most recognizable painters.
Shy,
sickly Andy spent many lonely hours
resting in bed. Warhol's mother
understood his uniqueness, and instead of forcing him to attend school, stand
up to bullies or play sports, she unfailingly nurtured his talents and accepted
and supported his interests. Andy attended art
classes at the Carnegie Museum art school in Pittsburgh and was encouraged by
teachers who also recognized his promise. Comics, movie magazines, glamorous
superstars and luminous icons from his Eastern Orthodox parish church fueled
his imagination. Christensen effectively re-imagines Warhol's unmistakable style for 21st-century kids while
offering a developmentally appropriate take on Warhol's
life. She focuses on his early graphic work and the exciting, transformative
era of Pop Art. She conveys the explosive impact of his Campbell's soup cans
and Marilyn as she discretely limns the early activities of "The
Factory."
Though
readers will need to consult the backmatter for the details of the more complex
and tumultuous years from the mid-'60s to his death in 1987, they will find
this a vital and exciting child-appropriate introduction to an American icon
(Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Tran,
A. (2011, May). Fabulous!: A Portrait of Andy Warhol. School Library Journal,
57(5), 95.
Gr
3–6--Spanning
Warhol's rise to fame, this
thoughtful account begins and ends with brief, fictionalized scenes that take
place in 1966, illuminating the pop artist's popularity and success in contrast
to the challenges he overcame to achieve recognition. The bulk of the narrative
is fact-based, tracing major milestones in Warhol's
personal and professional life through well-organized chronological flashbacks
that start from his early childhood in the 1930s and continue through his days
as an art student and his entry into the world of commercial art. Throughout,
he is portrayed as a sensitive soul, often ridiculed by his peers. The
differences between fine and commercial art, and Warhol's success in melding the two styles, are addressed
in a way that is easy to understand even for someone with no background in art
history. Christensen skillfully conveys emotion and mood through vivid, bold
collage illustrations, particularly notable in an image of Warhol sitting forward in his train seat as New York City
comes into view, anticipation made clear through his posture alone. According
to the illustration note, "the paintings in this book are replicas of Andy's paintings, intended to give the reader a sense of
his work and to inspire a museum visit to view the true originals." In
addition to being a useful resource for biography reports, the story of Warhol's artistic triumphs despite his social
difficulties will prove inspirational for young readers who feel as if they don't
quite fit in.
What I thought about it
This
book was not very interesting, which is a shame because Andy Warhol was very
interesting. It was bland to me, partly
because the illustrations were chalky.
If they had been more in the style of Warhol, it would have been more
intriguing.
How it can be used in a library
Collaborating
with the art teacher during a unit on modern artists or pop culture would be
one way to use this book.
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