Today's read takes an interesting twist, so I just couldn't pass up on taking a peek at it. It's a biography surrounding the artist Francis Kent. I've never heard about her, but then, I'm not exactly savvy in the artist area. What makes her a little more unique is the fact that she was also a nun. To say I'm curious to learn more about her is an understatement.
Let's open this up and learn more about her!
LOVE IS HARD WORK
The Art and Heart of Corita Kent
by Dan Paley
Illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Candlewick Press
Picture Book Nonfiction
40 pages
ages 4 to 8
The story of how a Catholic nun become one of the twentieth century’s most significant artists and activists is brought to life in a colorful picture book biography.
“To be fully alive is to work for the common good.” —Corita Kent
Francis Kent always loved making things. When she joined the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she took the name Corita—meaning little heart—and devoted her life to what mattered most to her: art and religion. As an art teacher, Sister Corita emphasized practice and process over the final product and taught her students to experiment and break the rules. As a religious person, she turned her faith into concrete action and spoke out about the injustices she saw in the world. In the height of post-war consumerist culture, Corita, a contemporary of Andy Warhol, turned advertising on its head and wrote a new kind of scripture. Complimented by Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s vibrant illustrations that—like Corita’s work—incorporate typography and ads, author Dan Paley paints a portrait of the little-known but immensely influential pop-art nun whose messages are just as relevant today as they were in years past.
“To be fully alive is to work for the common good.” —Corita Kent
Francis Kent always loved making things. When she joined the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she took the name Corita—meaning little heart—and devoted her life to what mattered most to her: art and religion. As an art teacher, Sister Corita emphasized practice and process over the final product and taught her students to experiment and break the rules. As a religious person, she turned her faith into concrete action and spoke out about the injustices she saw in the world. In the height of post-war consumerist culture, Corita, a contemporary of Andy Warhol, turned advertising on its head and wrote a new kind of scripture. Complimented by Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s vibrant illustrations that—like Corita’s work—incorporate typography and ads, author Dan Paley paints a portrait of the little-known but immensely influential pop-art nun whose messages are just as relevant today as they were in years past.
MY TIDBITS
A mix of art and words drove this artist forward in a life with unique twists.
Francis Kent, also known as Sister Corita, grew in a family with siblings, who gave their lives to the Catholic church, and she also had an unstoppable love for art. On the one hand, she followed the moves of her siblings and dedicated a part of her life to the calling of a nun. On the other hand, her artwork took a bit of an unique direction as she mixed in words and messages, proving to be a force in this area as well. To her, power and meaning was held in both the visual images as well as written words. While there were changes during her life, it was mostly driven by her desire to teach others to discover art for themselves.
This is one of the more grabbing biographies in the realm of artists, which I've read in awhile...for the picture book audience. The seemingly polar attitudes of a nun in the Catholic church and those of an artist, who is devoted to making powerful art, raises eyebrows. The author and illustrator weave these aspects together to produce a book which inspires, while sliding in some food for thought, too.
Francis Kent's enthusiasm for her work is palpable as the illustrations show her actively working with others and living her love for art the entire way through. The slight sense of chaos in the illustrations keeps things lively as the every day life scenes mix with the vibrant art in a lively swirl. But these pages aren't only a recount of her life stops and stages or a lesson on the type of art style she used. This book goes a little deeper. Her belief in seeing past details is explained and subtly gives hints to readers (and young artists), how they can practice this themselves.
The text flows well, but I find it a little long and slightly high-leveled for the youngest end of the suggested reading age group. Plus, the meaning behind Kent's art and life will hit slightly older readers better, anyway. I'd suggest this one more for the 6 to 9 (or even 10) age range simply because much of the inspiration and social messages will go over the heads of younger readers. It is one of the better done artist biographies I've seen in awhile, and I do see it being a valuable addition to classroom and homeschooling settings.
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