Eric Carle’s books are engaging to the point of being problematic for many parents and child-minders. Kids read them, and become addicted, so by the 17th reading, “Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?†Loses some of its magic to the adult reader, and the pictures go by largely unappreciated.
Kudos to the Tacoma Art Museum and the fabulous exhibition of Carle’s artworks, if not for illuminating the non-childrearing public to Carle’s work, then for illuminating facets of the work that might have gone unnoticed.
I loved the book dummies and works-in-progress displayed. I loved the endpapers. I loved looking with my nose nearly pressed to the glass, to see the fine details in collage achieved with detailed cuts and deft placement. I saw the details on some of his works, like the rungs of a ladder, the legs of the hermit crabs, and the beaks of his rubber ducks cut laboriously into tissue and painted papers. But the details were almost not as important as how Carle masters simplicity, in text, and in his forms. The moon, the rubber duck factory, the animals, all seem like they could have been created by a child, but how Carle is able to achieve the impression of life and vitality is brilliantly conveyed in this exhibition.
Mostly, I loved the colors and textures painted on papers used as bodies of animals, or water, or animals. His combinations of colors, like in the "10 Little Rubber Ducks" series, brought motion and energy to each piece that had gone unnoticed by me, as I read the books to my daughter.
Tonight, I think I’ll go through and reread the classics, paying special attention to the details I’ve missed until viewing Carle’s pieces, up close and personal at the Tacoma Art Museum.
Hear the man speak for himself at the Rialto Theater on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. where he will appear along with Nick Clark, founding director of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass. Admission is $5 to $20. Afterward, hop over to the Tacoma Art Museum at 4 p.m. for his artist reception and book signing. Ticket stub from the Rialto garners free admission. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler