Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat, by
Javaka Steptoe
(Multicultural/Primary-Intermediate reader)
Radiant Child is a picturebook biography of the early
life of Jean-Michel Basquiat; a street artist turned famous artist. Traveling
through moments of Basquiat’s childhood and teenage years, the reader gains a
picture of experiences as a child and his development as an artist. As is characteristic of the biography genre, this book presents an "authentic, vivid representation" of the subject's life (Galda, 2010, p. 24).
Radiant Child is also a prime example of multi-cultural literature. The book focuses on the culturally diverse American experience of
Jean-Michel Basquiat who was born into a multilingual household in Brooklyn,
New York. His mother’s family was Puerto Rican, and his father was from Haiti.
This book incorporates Basquiat’s specific cultural experience naturally by referencing
certain dishes his mother made and including the endearing term she called him in
Spanish, but his diversity is not stereotyped or made gratuitous. Additionally, as is characteristic of quality multi-cultural literature, Basquiat’s experience is portrayed positively; he comes from a loving family
and is close to his mother who introduces him to art by reading him poetry,
drawing with him, and taking him to visit museums. Many children will be able
to relate to this nurturing maternal relationship. His experience is also shown
to have universal realities, similar to all cultures in that the family experiences illness, injury, and
hardship as well as joy and love.
The story is set in both Brooklyn and New York City. The importance of this setting is found in its effect on his everyday life: "Somewhere in Brooklyn, between hearts that thump, double Dutch, and hopscotch and salty mouths that slurp sweet ice, a little boy dreams of being a famous artist" (Steptoe, 2016). Basquiat's character is multidimensional and changes over the years the book spans. We catch an early glimpse of his personality is the following passage: "He refuses to sleep until he has created a masterpiece" (Steptoe, 2016). Basquiat finds inspiration for his art everywhere, in his dreams, the city, his own body. Though elements of his character shift as he matures, he consistently views the world through his artist's eye. The plot follows his maturation from childhood to adulthood and references major events that shaped him, such as his mother's illness and his own experience of injury. Themes of family, dreaming, and perseverance echo throughout the story. Steptoe's style of language is clear and descriptive, but simple. He calls attention to certain words like Magical, Beautiful, Samoo, Paint, and New York City by making them large and capitalized in a font that looks handwritten. This tells the reader to pay attention to the meaning of that word to Basquiat and his story.
The illustrations in this book are intentional and enhance the storytelling. The front cover shows Basquiat as a child surrounded by collages of images that evoke his childhood. The back cover shows a slightly older Basquiat surrounded by another collage in a different style, reflective of the transition into his more adult, signature art style. To create the original illustrations, Steptoe painted with rich colors on found wood scraps sourced from a variety of sites in New York. The images are textured and often rough; they convey the sense of place in which the story is set. Much like the description of Basquiat’s own work found in the pages of the story, the illustrations are “not neat or clean and definitely not inside the lines, but somehow still BEAUTIFUL” (Steptoe, 2016).
The story is set in both Brooklyn and New York City. The importance of this setting is found in its effect on his everyday life: "Somewhere in Brooklyn, between hearts that thump, double Dutch, and hopscotch and salty mouths that slurp sweet ice, a little boy dreams of being a famous artist" (Steptoe, 2016). Basquiat's character is multidimensional and changes over the years the book spans. We catch an early glimpse of his personality is the following passage: "He refuses to sleep until he has created a masterpiece" (Steptoe, 2016). Basquiat finds inspiration for his art everywhere, in his dreams, the city, his own body. Though elements of his character shift as he matures, he consistently views the world through his artist's eye. The plot follows his maturation from childhood to adulthood and references major events that shaped him, such as his mother's illness and his own experience of injury. Themes of family, dreaming, and perseverance echo throughout the story. Steptoe's style of language is clear and descriptive, but simple. He calls attention to certain words like Magical, Beautiful, Samoo, Paint, and New York City by making them large and capitalized in a font that looks handwritten. This tells the reader to pay attention to the meaning of that word to Basquiat and his story.
The illustrations in this book are intentional and enhance the storytelling. The front cover shows Basquiat as a child surrounded by collages of images that evoke his childhood. The back cover shows a slightly older Basquiat surrounded by another collage in a different style, reflective of the transition into his more adult, signature art style. To create the original illustrations, Steptoe painted with rich colors on found wood scraps sourced from a variety of sites in New York. The images are textured and often rough; they convey the sense of place in which the story is set. Much like the description of Basquiat’s own work found in the pages of the story, the illustrations are “not neat or clean and definitely not inside the lines, but somehow still BEAUTIFUL” (Steptoe, 2016).
ACTIVITIES:
1.
Basquiat
was known to include symbols in his artwork, such as crowns which had personal
meaning/symbolism for him. Have students search the book for recurring images
and think about symbols that have meaning for them. Have students draw a
picture incorporating some of their personal symbols.
2.
Basquiat’s
art was inspired by his life. Have students journal about events or people that
have made an impact on them and think about how they could portray those
experiences through art?
READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
1.
The
author writes: “His drawings are not neat or clean, nor does he color inside
the lines. They are sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still
BEAUTIFUL.” What makes something beautiful to you?
2.
Basquiat
had some sad and scary things happen in his life. What helped him deal with
these experiences? How do you deal with sad and scary things in your life?
I love the idea of introducing children to art and artists, especially modern artists they may be able to relate to more easily. This book does a good job of showing what inspired Basquiat’s art and his road to becoming a well-known artist. The book also contains deeply personal themes that offer good teaching moments: childhood dreams, growing up, family struggles, illness, and injury. The book ends on an upbeat note and only acknowledges Basquiat’s tragic early death in the back end pages. This topic might be challenging to navigate when teaching children, especially because it is left out of the main story. Perhaps this is a book older students could return to with more focus on the full biography of Basquiat and use as a springboard for exploring his art.
References
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworths, Inc.
Steptoe, J.
(2016). Radiant child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
New
York:
Little, Brown.
Both images from: https://celebratepicturebooks.com/tag/radiant-child-the-story-of-young-artist-jean-michel-basquiat/
No comments:
Post a Comment