Bear's Picture (review)

"A bear wanted to paint a picture," and so he began to do so, happily painting away in a rainbow of colors when "two fine, proper gentleman" come upon him. The knowledgeable gentlemen assert that bears can't paint pictures and that the work in progress is silly, and they make mistaken guess after mistaken guess as to its subject. The bear finally informs them of his vision—it basically depicts a dream bear habitat—and when the gentlemen dismiss his efforts, he points out firmly that it's not for them to judge ("It is MY picture"). The message is a little oversimplified, but young artists will immediately recognize the dilemma of being faced with seemingly superior interlocutors, and the encouragement of individual vision is uplifting. Pinkwater's text has an abstract, fable-like tone that's grounded with gentle touches of rhythm as the focus alternates between artist and critics, and his subtextual eye-rolling at the pretentious prejudgment of the critics will put kids happily on the bear's side. Johnson gets the gentlemen's number illustratively, putting them in period suits (including spats, hats, and walking stick for one) and shades of gray, taupe, black, and white that the eye initially reads as monochromatic, and their geometric angularity correlates to their rigidity. The bear and his painting, however, are less successful: with his popping blue white-ringed eyes, spiky texture marks, and two-dimensionality, our ursine artist isn't particularly appealing, and his painting is a cacophony of unbalanced color that, ironically, makes the two critics look stylish and effective in contrast. Despite the book's flaws, it will make young artists think; use it in conjunction with Haseley's Twenty Heartbeats (BCCB 4/08) or Catalanotto's Emily's Art (BCCB 9/01) for a look at artistic philosophy.