A is for Art

Johnson, Stephen T. 2008. A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet.

A is for Art is an alphabet book for older readers. The book was written with these questions in mind: "What is art? What are the ideas behind a work of art? Do they work? Why or why not? Who decides what is art? Can anything be used to make art?" And there is an abstract piece of art for each of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Each piece is named and described. And at the back of the book, it presents a few more facts about each piece--the size, the medium, etc.

For the letter C, we have "Camouflage."

Camouflage: Countless colorful candies consciously collected, crammed, crushed, and confined crowd a clear circular container filled to capacity.

For the letter D, we have "Dotty Diptych"

Dotty Diptych: Densely distributed dominoes, divided by dark and light dots on dual panels, disappear under drops of dramatically dashed paint dribbling downwards.



Those two caught my eye right away. And while there are many other enjoyable letters I could highlight, I think those two will suffice as an introduction to what Johnson is trying to accomplish.

I think this one has some appeal both visually and verbally. I hope that came out right. While I *know* the main emphasis is on the art itself, for me, I found the descriptions to be what caught my eye the most. The language called to me more than the art. Or just as much as the art in any case.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews