Marc Chagall: Life is a Dream (Adventures in Art (Prestel))
Grade 3-6?In these two volumes in a new art series, the works of Chagall and Rousseau are presented in an unorthodox format, with somewhat mixed results. Both books provide insight into the individuals' lives and sources of inspiration. In Chagall, the undulating, multicolored text complements the artist's floating figures and dynamic shapes seen in facing full-page reproductions. Hopler asks readers questions about what Chagall might have been thinking when he composed these works and points out aspects of his life that clearly relate to the painting on that page. The text in Rousseau is more disjointed and less interesting and is set against dark, distracting, blown-up details from the the artist's paintings. The information on Rousseau is made even more confusing by the inclusion of a dream sequence in which the artist envisions himself lost in a jungle. Readers are told that the "Parisian moon smiled down on the happy customs official, because it knew that these pictures would one day make Henri Rousseau very famous...." In both volumes, the quality of the reproductions is very good. However, all of the details about the size, date, and location of the actual paintings is printed on the back cover rather than on a separate page. Libraries needing books on specific artists will want to consider Chagall as an additional purchase, but might want to pass on Rousseau.?Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.