Chris Van Allsburg

Illustrator Study – LIB 732Laura Collins

November 2009

Chris Van AllsburgInsights

“To puzzle children is more interesting to me than to educate or frighten them. I like to plant a seed that will start a mental process, rather than present my own.” – CVA (Allis)

“A story with some ambiguity has a vitality and life that a completely resolved story lacks. If I resolve a story at the end, it’s like turning the light out. That’s it. I like the idea that there’s still a little light flickering, even though the book is closed.” – CVA (Burke)

Chris Van AllsburgInsights

“A picture with staying power is one that unlocks a door to others and becomes a logical story.” – CVA (Howe)

“Subject matter is only the tiniest part of what a picture is.” – CVA

(The Christian Science Monitor)

Background Born in 1949 in Grand Rapids, Michigan; son of a dairy

farmer Favorite childhood book: Harold and the Purple Crayon B.F.A. at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor M.F.A. in sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design,

1975 Wife: Lisa Morrison Daughters: Sophia and Anna Professor of illustration at RISD for many years; resigned

to devote time to family

PraiseHe has a “gift for adopting unusual vantage points” (Allis).His pictures’ “intensity comes from startling visual incongruities” (Christian

Science Monitor).“He’s taken the seemingly ordinary and made you feel a little bit squeamish.

He provokes a sense of wonder, mystery, and befuddlement.” – H. Nichols B. Clark, Art Historian (Christian Science Monitor)

“Ultimately, though, by publishing works that are admittedly idiosyncratic, quirky, and highly personal– thus exposing his fears and fantasies– he enables his audience to identify with him strongly as well” (Hurwitz).

“Magical, ambiguous tales that raise questions without supplying obvious answers, Van Allsburg’s works are perhaps successful because of the questions that remain unanswered– questions that require the reader’s imagination and faith” (Hurwitz).

The BeginningOffered a position at RISD as a professor in the illustration department, Van Allsburg felt guilty that he hadn’t actually done illustration (he was

primarily a sculptor). Thus, to establish his credibility, he decided to publish a book. His

wife, Lisa, a former elementary school and art teacher, is responsible for bringing his work to

publishers’ attention (Hurwitz).

See his sculptures at:Chris Van Allsburg | Sculpture

Inspiration / Creativity

“I have the picture in my imagination. Sometimes the wordscome to me, because I see something, and I see there may be a story somewhere that ties things together. The drawings talk back to the text.”

– CVA (Christian Science Monitor)

“I lie in bed on my back, without a pen or paper, and use my imagination to find out where a character or a story might go.”

– CVA (Burke)

The Process“I sit down and start writing little notes. I try to make an outline. I always have a very clear idea of what the story beats are– the general shape of the story. So I start doing some sketching, and then I go back and work on the text a little bit. For a while, they’re affecting each other.”

– CVA (Burke)

“I work on a story for two or three weeks, and once I have a pretty good rough draft I start doing sketches. I do a lot of sketches, because for those 15 images I choose to put in a book, in telling that story in my mind there are 10,000 images. The process of trying to pick the ones that will add as much story value as possible to each page is a critical one.” – CVA (Frederick)

“I would probably do all of my books over if I could.” - CVA (Hurwitz)

Stylistic Influences

In 1977, Allsburg was primarily a sculptor, earning recognition for “quirky” pieces described as “intricate and extravagantly detailed” with “fastidious craftsmanship” that “reflects a childlike wonder for the way things are made.” NY Times critic Vivien Raynor saw Surrealism and “shades of Magritte” in his works (Hurwitz).

Sculpture uses a different part of his brain than illustration does. He finds working with three dimensions easy, whileillustrating is “tedious and often tortuous” (Hurwitz). Still, his work as a sculptor influences his illustrations.

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi - 1979Caldecott Honor Book 1980“‘Brilliant illustrations resemble

snapshots taken by the brain of Poe.’”

– Time

“haunting, magical graphite drawings of topiary trees”

(Hurwitz)

“eerie and slightly ominous; a sense of mystery lingers”

(Hurwitz)

Jumanji – 1981Caldecott Medal Winner 1982“As the game begins, the point of view becomesexaggerated– one sees the room and the animals either from the ceiling or from below, so everything seems extraordinary in scale.” (Burke)

“14 moody, black-and-white drawings of a brother and sister who become lost in a curious board game– one in which the line between reality and fantasy is blurred but never wholly erased” (Howe)

“The book’s story and pictures were inspired by the idea of cognitive dissonance: the security of home juxtaposed with the peril of jungle adventure. The atmosphere and style of the drawings emphasize this quality, producing a combination of authenticity and fantasy. It becomes dreamlike, resembling Surrealist art.”

– CVA (Print)

• ;

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick - 1984

“a series of fourteen unrelated, sometimes eerie pictures of compressed charcoal based on captions that the artist claims had been deserted by their author at a publisher’s office” (Burke)

“The book embodies the enigmatic, magical, and surrealistic quality of all his work.” (Burke)

The Polar Express - 1985Caldecott Medal Winner 1986

“ ‘Oil pastels complement the rich, evocative text and capture the universal longing to believe… the double-page spreads provide scope for the unusual perspective and slightly indistinct outlines that create a haunting atmosphere.’”

– Mae Benne, Chair of the Caldecott Committee (SLJ, March 1986)

“A Christmas story about faith and the desire to believe in something…” – CVA (SLJ, January 1996)

CVA alleges that a red-haired, green-eyed boy gave him the idea for The Polar Express when he tried to sell him a broken bell. After CVA gave the boy all of his money, the bell suddenly “rang beautifully, like some kind of heavenly chime” (SLJ, January 1996). This story is generally believed to be fictional.

The Polar Express (cont’d)“The Polar Express is not really as much about individual characters as it is about a quest or journey. There is a protagonist who is torn between believing in an idea, which he cherished, and not believing in it because it defies reason.” – CVA (Print)

“The palette for The Polar Express was inspired by the paintings of nineteenth-century German artist Caspar David Friedrich” (Hurwitz).

“…Van Allsburg’s pictures in The Polar Express recall the austere tension of Edward Hopper and the surreal surprise of Rene Magritte.”

(The Christian Science Monitor)

Two Bad Ants - 1988“Van Allsburg, playing with perspective, creates marvelous contrasts and images. But although Two Bad Ants is visually different from its predecessors, it shares the same strong style, dazzling artwork and whimsy that characterizes all of the artist's work.”

Publishers Weekly (September 30, 1988)

“The book is a visual tour-de-force. The highly linear, hard-edged drawings look like fine etchings which have been magnified-- a technique which enhances the sense of being reduced to ant size. The colors applied in flat fields are primarily limited to earth tones and gray, combined with touches of pure white and black in lines and fields of almost luminous intensity.”

School Library Journal (November 1988)

“If I were an ant looking out from an electrical socket, the long slits in which the light poured would look like 15-ft. doorways hung in space.” – CVA (Allis)

Swan Lake - 1989“a fairy tale laced with social commentary” (Hurwitz)

The book “is intended to have the feeling of ‘a book done in a different time.’ Designed to be of ‘collectible quality,’ it has an illustrated, gold-stamped, blue-cloth cover; heavy, off-white paper for the text, complete with small, blue-gray images designed by Van Allsburg to adorn every page…” (Hurwitz).

In order not to interfere with Mark Helprin’s descriptive gifts, he “purposely chose to draw scenes that were not greatly detailed in the language” (Hurwitz).

The Wretched Stone - 1991“The dramatic illustrations increase the suspense and surprise inherent in the unlikely adventures described. Visual humor, although used sparingly, also adds to the appeal of the colorful paintings. While this picture book could be read merely as an exotic ocean adventure, literacy advocates and fans of book discussions will enjoy ruminating over the symbolism of the mysterious glowing stone and arguing over the interpretation of Van Allsburg's oblique message.”

– Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (SLJ, November 1991)

Zathura – 2002“Van Allsburg's choice of highly textured paper adds interest and character; the patterned wallpapers are especially effective as homey counterpoints to the surreal story. The creamy background provides warmth and contrast to the black-and-gray sketches, so convincing in conveying depth of field. One can't help but anticipate the encore.”

– Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (SLJ,November 2002)

Creation of Zathura took six or seven months, which is standard for CVA.

(Frederick)

“I deal with issues from my own psyche. Maybe they are not that different from those of an

eight-year-old. Or maybe I have a really good memory of what it is like to be a child.”

Chris Van Allsburg

“Conceiving of something is only part of the creative process. Giving life to the conception

is the other half. The struggle to master a medium, whether it's words, notes, paint, or

marble, is the heroic part of making art.”- Chris Van Allsburg,

Caldecott Medal Acceptance Speech The Polar Express, 1986

Works CitedAllis, Sam. “Rhinoceroses in the living room: Chris Van Allsburg taps into children’s sense of mystery. (children’s

illustrator, author).” Time 13 Nov. 1989: 108. Student Resource Center – Gold. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. Burke, Lynne T. “AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATORS.” Instructor 113.5 (2004): 22-29. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.

3 Nov. 2009."Chris Van Allsburg | Home." Chris Van Allsburg | The Official Chris Van Allsburg Website. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. Frederick, Heather Vogel. “Chris Van Allsburg.” Publishers Weekly 14 Oct. 2002: 27-28. Academic Search Premier.

EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.Heller, Steven. “Back Talk: Chris Van Allsburg, Creator, The Polar Express, Interview.” PRINT Nov./Dec. 2004: 50-52,

334. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.Howe, Rob. “Drawing power: Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji puts him on Hollywood’s hit list.” People Weekly 22 Jan.

1996: 97+. Student Resource Center – Gold. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. Hurwitz, L.S. “Chris Van Allsburg. (Cover story).” American Artist (VNU eMedia, Inc.) 54.574 (1990): 58. Academic

Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.“Illustrators get their day in the gallery; For artists such as Chris Van Allsburg, children’s books are anything but

child’s play.” Christian Science Monitor 31 Dec. 2004: 17. Student Resource Center – Gold. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. “MacLachlan Wins ‘86 Newberry Medal: Van Allsburg Wins Caldecott Medal.” School Library Journal Mar. 1986:

84-85. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.“Van Allsburg ‘Confesses’ on Polar Express Anniversary.” School Library Journal Jan. 1996: 18. Academic Search

Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.Vernick, Annie. "Time for Kids | News | TFK Talks with Chris Van Allsburg." Time For Kids | Classroom. Time, Inc.

Web. 14 Nov. 2009.