[Nonfiction Wednesday] “Through the Window” and “Out of This World”: The Lives of Marc Chagall and Leonora Carrington

Fats here.

We are delighted to join the Nonfiction Picture Book meme 2019 hosted by Alyson Beecher @ Kid Lit Frenzy. We would also be linking our nonfiction choices with our reading themes throughout the year, when we can.

Check out these picture book biographies about two talented artists!

Out of This World
The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington

by Michelle Markel (Author) and Amanda Hall (Illustrator)

Ever since she was a little girl, Leonora Carrington loved to draw on walls, in books, on paper—and she loved the fantastic tales her grandmother told that took her to worlds that shimmered beyond this one, where legends became real. Leonora’s parents wanted her to become a proper English lady, but there was only one thing she wanted, even if it was unsuitable: to become an artist.

Published on January, Out of This World introduced me to the dreamlike life and works of Leonora Carrington. It was in a school in Italy that Leonora first came across paintings that showed a forest with knights riding horses and people dressed in vibrant garments. She was later inspired by the fascinating works of surrealists. Their depiction of the world reminded Leonora of the fascinating stories from her childhood. When the Nazis invaded Western Europe, Leonora fled to Mexico. The image above was one of Leonora’s artworks that had been featured at her one-woman exhibition in New York. Out of This World offered so many details about Leonora’s life. Amanda Hall’s gorgeous illustrations are worth checking out!

Through the Window
Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art

by Barb Rosenstock (Author) and Mary Grandpré (Illustrator)

Known from both his dazzling paintings and stained-glass windows, Marc Chagall rose from humble beginnings to become one of the world’s most renowned artists. Chagall’s small Russian town lived vibrantly in his imagination even after he built a successful career in Paris. He forged a path that spanned decades and continents, and he never stopped growing.

The author-illustrator duo behind The Noisy Paint Box and Vincent Can’t Sleep is back with another beautiful picture book biography about a famous artist. Inspired by Chagall’s stained-glass windows, the important events in Chagall’s life are narrated and represented by the views he saw outside his window. Through these windows, Chagall is depicted as a boy, a student, a misfit, a painter, a revolutionary, a master, and, finally, an old man with a rippling kaleidoscope of magic memories. The narrative is shorter compared to Out of This World, but the art is equally stunning!

*Cover images were downloaded online. Page samples were taken by me.