Artist Quote: “Yesterday, I drew hills and trees to such an extent that I dreamt about them most of the night.” Achievements: Her art has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States and abroad, bringing her awards and honors. Wanda Gág exhibits continue today. Millions of Cats, considered a classic in children’s literature, is one of several children’s books by the famous artist and author. Among them are A B C Bunny, Gone Is Gone, and Tales from Grimm, which she translated from German and illustrated. | About the Artist: Wanda's father died when she was young and her large family was quickly impoverished without him. To earn a small income, Wanda wrote stories and illustrated them for the Minneapolis Junior Journal and sold drawings to local residents. She won an art award at a young age and eventually received art school scholarships. After graduating from high school in 1912, she taught in a rural Springfield, Minnesota school before leaving for art study at the St. Paul School of Art and then the Minneapolis School of Art. In 1917 she won a scholarship to the prestigious Art Students League in New York City. About the Artwork: Gág is widely considered to be a pioneer in the development in the picture book form; prior to Millions of Cats, picture books were printed with the text on one side of the page and the illustrations on the other, while Gág intregrated text across a doublepage spread. A distinguished printmaker, her rural landscapes and homey interior scenes demonstrate a compassion for the ordinary things in life. Ordinary things spring to life in these intimate studies. All of Gag's prints and drawings, and even the few oil paintings she made, are created with flowing, curved lines, and the spaces between objects appear to be as important as the objects themselves. |
Sources:
http://www.wandagaghouse.org/gag-family-artists/wanda-gag/
https://philamuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/artist-focus-wanda-gag
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/wanda-gag-1713
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/8aa/8aa480.htm
http://www.wandagaghouse.org/gag-family-artists/wanda-gag/
https://philamuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/artist-focus-wanda-gag
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/wanda-gag-1713
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/8aa/8aa480.htm