|
You are here:
Home > Art Books > Lorenzo Lotto > Item
|
Painter's Cat
|
by Sharon Wooding
Sales Rank : 1419319
|
|
|
|
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 1 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile April 13, 1994
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399224149
ISBN-13: 978-0399224140
Product Dimensions:
10 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
In imagining the story behind Lorenzo Lotto's 16th-century painting The Annunciation , Wooding ( Arthur's Christmas Wish ) has imbued her latest picture book with the spirit of Renaissance Italy. Tabby cat Micio is beginning to feel neglected as his master toils night and day over a painting. When three "terrible strangers"--a woman in red, a bearded man and a "monster with wings"--appear at the door and receive Lorenzo's devoted attention and hospitality, Micio flees, hurt and hungry. Survival on the streets of Venice proves difficult and it is not too long before Micio pads home to discover his own likeness in Lorenzo's painting. Evocative artwork, portrayed in rich reds and warm earths, surpasses the lackluster text. The narrative meanders, wooden in its imagery ("The painter lay asleep . . . pictures piled about him and half covering his face, like a paper blanket") and overstuffed with exclamations ("Refreshment? REFRESHMENT! This was too much!"). The understated but dramatic artwork can speak for itself. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Feeling neglected by his master, Micio the cat leaves the artist's rooms and takes to the streets of Venice. Driven home by hunger and bad weather, he finds a warm welcome and an explanation for the painter's lack of attention. Lorenzo has been painting a religious work, with Micio in the very center. Wooding's story was inspired by a 16th-century painting of the Annunciation by Lorenzo Lotto, in which a cat witnesses the appearance of the angel to the Virgin Mary. This picture book, constructed to explain an actual painting, has little drama and no particular merit as a narrative work. However, it does offer some wonderful illustrations. The streets and canals of Renaissance Venice, the furnishings of the artist's home, and the gaily dressed townspeople are painted with soft ocher tones, muted blues, and rose. Micio is realistically rendered as a playful pet. Fixed within a delicate, antique border, the pictures are a tribute to the research Wooding has done on Lotto and his times. The book is useful as a window into the Renaissance period, and will appeal to cat lovers.
Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
|
|
|
|
