I like books – Anthony Browne
The main work
Picture book is 'art' that children meets for the first time in their life, 'literature' that gives a sense of abundance, and 'experience' that connects with different world.
As referred by Perry Nodelman, picture book is a distinctive form of combining two different fields of the art: drawing and literature. According to David L. Russell, it was also liken to a happy marriage between words and pictures, describing their interdependent relationship. Text and picture are of the major elements comprising a picture book. An encounter between writing and drawing gives ‘creative product’ and it plays the role of a ‘door’ as in communicating with the rest of the world. In this aspect, the picture book is more than new experience; it is the gateway to understanding the difference, and is the way to a little art gallery that helps recognize people’s different emotions.
Reading, writing, and expressing through text and picture encourage people to speak up its own voice, communicate with others, and create its own color. In deed, very often it’s more than that;the picture book plays a leading role in children’s growth.Children can exploit experiencing the taste of other culture, develop their ability to understand literature and formative language, and learn various relationships through the picture book.
Anthony Browne’s picture books are one of most beloved ones in the world for its emotional words mixed with beautiful color and lines as well as plenty of imaginations. As opposed to the typical picture books whose images are mostly positive and joyful, his books not only illustrate symbolic messages using a full of cheerful words and pictures, but also reflect the sense of the sincere reality of our time. Such unique metaphor well represents why he is one of the best writers of children's books.
This opening exhibition for MOKA aims at re-discovering how words and pictures can be used, read, and expressed from educational point of view through Anthony Browne’s books.Also, it will be an opportunity for both parents and children to communicate and share their ideas across the generation.
At Exhibition Hall No.1, <Meeting between Text and Picture> is displayed where you can find different interesting stories and changing shapes. There is also <Joy of Picture Books> exhibition extended to the Exhibition Hall No.2, and it features the writer’s distinctive interpretation of the noted paintings.
The last piece of the exhibition is <Story of Anthony Browne> where you can find the footstep of the writer. Some of the works by <Hanne Bartholin> who worked together with Anthony Browne are put on display at Atelier. You will be able to find the real joy of picture books as you enjoy his original paintings that have never been previously disclosed to the public in Korea. It will naturally lead you tofollowing his footsteps that he has made as a picture book writer.
Picture books are loved by the children because it contains what is inside the children’s mind. If you ever wanted to see the child in your own mind and go back to your time of the youth, this will be the time. Once you met yours, it would help you better understand your children.
"Picture books are a combination of imagination, symbol, convention, and tradition. It has achieved what any other form of literature never could" - M Nikolajeva & C Scotte,
Meeting between Text and Picture
‘Picture books are like a harmonious orchestra with text and picture - Sam Hearn’. The elements of the text and picture help understand story better and memorize the favorable moments longer. As every instrument has its own sound, text and picture in the picture book have their own characteristics. Text is used to deliver the message directly, but it often develops the story in a completely opposite way. Picture makes the page colorful and lovely, but speaks of its own story too.
The idea that thin black lines making up hundreds of texts and pictures stimulates a variety of imaginations. The similar idea can be observed from ‘Shape Game’ which Anthony Browne used to play with his brother when he was young. A random straight line is re-created as a frightening animal, a handsome boy, or anything else, giving freedom to children’s unlimited spectrum of imagination.The open-ending story encourages children to use their imagination, expanding their scope of thinking.
It was not just Anthony Browne but also children from all over the world who have always enjoyed modifying the abstract ideas and shapes into some kinds of unique form.
"Picture books are a happy marriage between words and picture" - David L. Russell
"You must learn how to think by drawing" - James MacMullan
Joy of Picture Books
The peasant women are painting with brush instead of gleaning a field of stray grains of wheat, andfarmers are picking up croissant for harvest. Venusis wearing a shower cap and alike to gorilla. And there is a denture next to the gorilla reminding &Mona Riza&.
Anthony Browne re-interprets the famous moments from the classic paintings. His works are full of new perspective and creativity, looking at objects from a different angle. It’s probably also fun to find the wits hidden across his works.He has brushed with his own color even on the famous stories we know such as 《Alice's Adventures in Wonderland》 and 《Hansel and Gretel》.
Although rather familiar, the more you read, the more you will feel like reading a completely new story. This is because Browne off-colored context from the originalstories but added a new layer of sincerity like in reality. It is thoroughly tempting to stay for a whole day to get into his story and share his perspective.When you realize every little picture contains so many different stories and spot out his addictively detailed expressions, you must want to stay much longer.
‘Reading’ a picture book is not simple as just understanding a story. It helps children freely navigate their world of imagination through reading words and looking at pictures. This allows them to get familiar with different culture and world, enriching their experience. Ultimately the children will create their own stories and expand further through absorbing more of them.
"I’ve discovered that children are not only sophisticated readers who can read visual texts, but also those who could even distinguish and recognize the visually and metaphorically complicated image". - Evelyn Arizpe & Morag Styles
Story of Anthony Browne
Anthony Browne first became familiar with drawing as he had a father who loved drawing pictures. Browne himself who also loved writing and drawing has developed his career from a medical illustrator, card designer, and to the picture book writer today.
He was fascinated with the human body so he became a medical illustrator at first. He said during his three years in the medical field, he learned different expression methods of picture. Also, this was the period when he developed his unique expression style– the edge-detailed expression and ‘hidden pictures’ in the work. He confessed that he had carefully drawn little people inside very complex and detailed expressions in order not to lose his interest in the painting. It would be worthwhile to take some time to find thehidden characters such as a man talking a walk with tomato, a woman wearing a pair of fish shoes, and burning banana.
This expression method enhances children’s concentration in reading the picture books and helps to take more active part in sharing the experience. In addition to it, it is not only effective in developing children’s ability of interpreting literature and but also useful in leading to understanding different culture through its variety ofsymbols. Moreover, his life itself will be a good stepping stone for the children to start understanding and communicating with others.
Anthony Browne said his ideas for the book came from his memory and experience from his own youth. Perhaps, this might explain why he is so good at writing the children’s perspective into his books, while covering the adults’ mind, too. It must be the reason why he has been constantly loved worldwide. What will we imagine and remember through Anthony Browne’s works?’
Visit Information
- Exhibition Hall 1 and 2
- 10:00 ~ 18:00
- Universal
- KRW 6,000
