  | Covered in color : Christo & Jeanne-Claude's fabrics of freedom Author: Boxer, Elisa | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
Christo (1935-2020) and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) are renowned for their large-scale, ambitious art installations that wrapped landmarks and swaths of land in fabric. This lively biography chronicles Christo's humble childhood in Soviet-controlled Bulgaria--under a regime that suppressed individuality and creativity--to his international fame as a bold (and controversial) innovator in the art world with the help of his wife, Jeanne-Claude.
| Illustrator: | Chapman, Susanna |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (07/15/22)
School Library Journal (08/26/22)
Booklist (09/15/22)
The Hornbook (00/11/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 08/26/2022 PreS-Gr 3—This is the story of two 20th-century artists who created artwork on a truly massive scale; they used huge pieces of fabric to wrap buildings to create colorful, beautiful, gigantic art. Their story of life, love, and art is illustrated by Chapman, who captures the beauty, movement, and scale of the partners' creations in sweeping scenes. Boxer's storytelling weaves neatly into the artwork, mirroring, perhaps, the democratic and equitable relationship between the two artists and romantic partners. The story starts with Christo's childhood during World War II and explores how those early years of hardship and trauma are part of what made Christo the artist he became, following his path across the globe, to meeting Jeanne-Claude, to their collaborative process. Over the course of the book, readers learn of the obstacles, rejections, and successes of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, in accessible prose and dynamic artwork. Back matter includes an author's note and an artist's note, as well as sources for further research. VERDICT The scale of the creations alone make for interesting study; young readers will be enthralled by the thinking and planning that went along with these massive undertakings.—Jessica Schriver - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 09/15/2022 Chronicling the life and work of artist Christo, this sometimes serious, sometimes playful work also has lots to teach about artistic resilience. When Christo was a boy in 1930s Bulgaria, his world “swirled with color, a joy that ended when Nazis arrived.” Christo’s father had to burn the family’s books of forbidden art. Boxer then follows Christo’s resistance to censorship as he grew, a determination that led him to leave for Paris and then, with partner Jeanne-Claude, for New York, where his career began to flourish. While Boxer describes Christo’s smaller works, the focus is on his famed wrappings. The work ends with a close look at The Gates, for which Christo and partner Jeanne-Claude, after years of opposition, installed 7,503 saffron banners in New York’s Central Park. Made with watercolor, gouache, and Photoshop, the exuberant images in this work add a playful element, depicting the artists and their work in a style that somewhat resembles Chris Raschka’s. Pair with Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan’s Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond (2008) for an intriguing art lesson. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
