Come Look With Me: Animals in Art

by Gladys S. Blizzard Author

(From Amazon): Few subjects have more immediate appeal to children than animals, and few methods of teaching youngsters to appreciate fine art have proven more successful than those of art educator Gladys S. Blizzard. In COME LOOK WITH ME: Animals in Art, the third volume of her series of interactive art books, she makes the most of children’s natural curiosity about animals to introduce them not only to twelve magnificent works of art, but also to a whole new way of encountering art. Using an approach which is as fun as it is effective, the author deftly guides her young audience toward their own understanding of and delight in the world of art. The works featured in Animals in Art represent a variety of styles which youngsters will encounter again in museums and in books: the muscular realism of Rosa Bonheur’s The Horse Fair, the delicate romanticism of Martin Johnson Heade’s Cattleya Orchid and Tree Brazilian Hummingbirds, and the bold abstraction of Henri Matisse’s The Snail. They also represent an intriguing menagerie of beasts, from the mysterious deer and horses stampeding across the wall of Lascaux cave to Paul Klee’s whimsical heart –nosed cat dreaming of a bird. Each work of art is accompanied by a brief biographical sketch of the artist and a series of open-ended questions designed to encourage discussion. Through her thought-provoking text, Mrs. Blizzard encourages children to imagine themselves in the paintings: striding among the solemn-eyed creatures in Edward Hick’s The Peaceable Kingdom, setting out on a voyage aboard Roy DeForest’s fantastical Canoe of Fate. In each work of art, children will discover the rewards of looking closely to find the details that bring a painting to life. Whether enjoyed in a family or a classroom setting, COME LOOK WITH ME: Animals in Art offers art lovers of all ages the perfect way to celebrate what Gladys Blizzard calls "the pleasure of shared experience and to nurture a lifelong appreciations for the visual arts.