REMY CHARLIP was born on January 10, 1929. He was a multi-talented, highly gifted artist. I knew his children's books from early on in my own career, but it was not until many years later that I learned of his accomplishments as a dancer, choreographer, theater director, designer, and teacher.
His book ARM IN ARM was my favorite of all his titles.
It's a delightful and witty exploration of words and images, playing off of each other in sophisticated, yet child-like, experiments.
It's quite likely that Charlip's books would never be published today. A sad commentary on the current state of children's book publishing, which depends so much on glitz, hype, and promotion. Nor is Charlip well-known outside of professional circles.
I cannot possibly adequately present Charlip's work in this brief blog---one needs to hold the actual books in one's hands and read them, page by page, to appreciate this artist's genius. I encourage you to track down some of Charlip's work. Let him transport you. The link below describes at some length his many accomplishments as an artist.
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/39416/not-even-a-stroke-can-halt-prolific-s.f.-childrens-book-artist/
Beautiful work! I remember the Paper Bag Players from years ago when I lived in NY.
ReplyDeleteThe two other books of his I had (have?) are Thirteen, and Fortunately. Both are genius works. What a talent.
ReplyDelete