On the first Sunday
of Advent 2007 the Nordic Watercolour
Museum will be opening a major exhibition
on the theme of children’s picture books
as an art form. This exciting event
will present original works illustrating
the work of twenty Nordic and international
artists of illustrated books, and the
period of the exhibition will include
a rich programme comprising workshops,
guided tours and storytelling for children,
theatrical events, music, lectures and
seminars as well as days devoted to
further study of the topic.
Ever since the first children’s picture
books appeared about 150 years ago watercolour
techniques have been of importance in
creating the original illustrations.
And even if today’s use of multi-techniques
and digital image processing has transformed
the production of illustrated books,
watercolour, Indian ink and the application
of other water-based paints on paper
still have a central role to play for
contemporary artists. The selection
of works for the exhibition The Children’s
Picturebooks presents a wide-ranging
overview of the most skilful and creative
of contemporary illustrators. Their
work reflects the aesthetic, psychological
and existential potentials of the children’s
illustrated book. The twenty selected
– fifteen from the Nordic countries
and five from the international scene
– combine powerful personal expression
with a conscious approach to the trinity
which gives the exhibition its name.
In our planning of the exhibition we
have striven hard that the exhibition
galleries
should stimulate the interests of both
children and adults and lead to unexpected
and exciting meetings between the generations.
The unique character and communicative
power of the picture book interplay
here with the possibilities afforded
by the exhibition medium and today’s
digital techniques. |
