[Hakugado's "Famous Paintings Story Series"]
The "Famous Paintings Story Series" was created with the desire to create an environment where children could easily experience authentic art.
This picture book collection features large, vibrant images, and traces the lives of artists through easy-to-understand text alongside famous paintings. Since its first publication in 1992, it has been enjoyed by many families as an "art experience that can be enjoyed at home." Child education experts have also praised it, saying, "It's especially important for children to know the real thing. Exposing children to good art from an early age will help develop their sensibilities." Adults can also enjoy it as an introductory art book.
*This book has been selected by the Japan Library Association/National Council of School Libraries and is recommended for use in school textbooks.
Series introduction page: https://www.hakugado.co.jp
Series introduction blog: https://www.hakugado.co.jp/%e3%83%96%e3%83%ad%e3%82%b0
[Recommendation from Takashi Yanase]
As a child, I loved art, so from a young age I grew up looking at the complete art collections in my father's study. However, they were all aimed at adults, so I couldn't understand the explanatory text. I wanted to know more about the artist's personality. I wanted to know what kind of person created this painting, but the technical details were difficult to understand. This "Famous Paintings Story Series" has large prints and vivid images, making it interesting enough for adults as well as children to read, and I think it triples the fun and enjoyment of looking at the paintings.
Volume 17, "Vermeer and Rembrandt" (B4 variant, 64 full-color pages, 43 illustrations)
Vermeer, known for his limpid paintings of everyday life in works such as "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "The Milkmaid," portrayed the everyday lives of ordinary people in a limpid style.
Rembrandt, known as the "painter of light and shadow," continued to paint a wide variety of figures, including "Self-Portrait," "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp," and "The Night Watch."
Through the paintings of these two leading Dutch artists, we can get a closer look at the lives of 17th-century Dutch citizens.
This book provides easy-to-understand explanations of the lives and works of these two artists, along with historical context.
Enjoy 17 paintings by Vermeer and 26 paintings by Rembrandt, including 10 self-portraits, in large, beautiful prints—a total of 43 works, all of which can be enjoyed.