Salvador Dali (Artists in Their Time)
Reviewed with Jill A. Laidlaw'sPaul Klee.Gr. 5-8. A profusion of illustrations--photographs, art reproductions, news clippings--and information offered in sound bites make an attractive mix for students looking for biographical information. The Artists in Their Times series takes its emphasis on setting artists in their time seriously: a time line runs along the bottom of most pages, putting events of the artist's life in context. Anderson treats the oversize personality of the surrealist Dali well and does a fine job of illustrating how the surrealist vision has permeated the images and advertising now seen everywhere. He made the seminal surrealist filmUn chien andalouwith his friend Luis Bunuel; refused to take sides during the Spanish Civil War even when the Nationalists executed his friend, the poet Garcia Lorca; and fled to the U.S. during WW II. Dali's melting clocks, and his telephone with the lobster receiver, still offer viewers a gasp and a shiver. Laidlaw chronicles the Swiss-born Klee. His art is beautifully handled, from his inspiration from the reverse glass painting of Bavaria to his memories of his own childhood art to his teaching at the Bauhaus. Klee's writings are eminently quotable, and he is quoted liberally throughout. There's a real, and successful, effort to convey the mystery, charm, and power of Klee's art.GraceAnne DeCandidoCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.