Picture book artists employ various artistic styles to create various effects. These styles have a rich and varied history.

Here are some samples of children's picture book art as they relate to various artistic styles and periods:

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Mitumasa Anno, Anno's Medieval World, (New York: Philomel, 1980)

Medieval art represents the world as a rigidly ordered, self-contained place. Reflective of the fact that there was not much social mobility, the art of the period possesses a kind of stillness as well. Ornate, stylized borders keep everything under control. Borders in children's books often function in the same way.   They emphasize the self-containment of the picture-book world, and limit the threat of chaos in the text.

 

 

 

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Rapunzel, retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (New York: Dutton, 1997)

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Shakespeare and Macbeth: The story behiond the play, Stewart Ross, illustrated by Tony Karpinski (New York: Viking, 1994)

 

The above examples are reminiscent of Renaissance art. Note the emphasis on human emotion and naturalism.

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Snow toward Evening: A Year in a River Valley
Nature poems selected by Josette Frank, Paintings by Thomas Locker
(New York: Dial, 1990)

 

 Thomas Locker's landscapes invoke the Romantic tradition.  They are akin to pastoral poetry, and, in the case of Locker, often accompany books of poetry for children. 

Consider the following contemporary urban artists:
        John Steptoe is one of the most picture book artists of African-American children's literature. Note the spread of his influence in the look of contemporary multicultural artist David Diaz:
The image on the left is from Stevie, by John Steptoe, (New York: Harper and Row, 1969). The image on the right is taken from the Caldecott-award-winning Smoky Night, by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Diaz (San Diego: Harcourt, Brace and Co.: 1994).

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Note the absence of white space in each drawing, the bold outlines, the intense colors.   Each of these aspects of the artistic style relates to the ideology of the artist and the subject matter of the book. What are some of the conclusions you might draw from these elements? Note the fact that in each drawing, most of the characters are facing left. What does this suggest about the action?