Mourning the passing of a genius - RIP Maurice Sendak

[icon_uk]

Given his contribution to the field of the graphic medium, I do feel this is appropriate for Scans_Daily (and the "legality" post will also explain it)

The BBC, and others, report that Maurice Sendak, the American illustrator who gave the world "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen" amongst others has died at the age of 83 following complications from a stroke.

Whether it was Max and his Wild Rumpus in Where the Wild Things Are



Or my personal favourite, the strange (almost creepy) vibes to be found In the Night Kitchen (Sort of like Winsor Mackay's dream logic in many respects) his artwork is instantly recognisable, and you never once felt he was talking down to his young audience.



Some of his work was pretty harrowing in it's way and he illustrated the work of other authors without a qualm, he drew llutrsations for "grown up books" as well as for kids, and some of the kids work was a lot more intense than the ostensibly adult stuff. He had few illusions about the world, which makes what he did draw seem even odder when you think about it.

Here is Art "Maus" Spiegelman's pictorial version of a meeting they had nearly 20 years ago, which illustrates this better than I could hope to. (and I'm indebted to Tumblr for showing me these pages).




Thank you for making my childhood that little bit stranger Mr Sendak, and I'm hoping that wherever you are, there's the mother of all Wild Rumpus' for you to enjoy!

Comments

[icon_uk]

I confess I only knew him from his two "big name" books; "Where the Wild Things Are" (and I try to ignore the movie) and "In the Night Kitchen".

I'm also rather ashamed to say I couldn't have told you he was still alive, or that he hadn't been dead for some consierable time. The timeless nature of the books meant I had no real perception of what his era was, never mind it being so contemporary.

[greenmask]

He probably wouldn't mind though, would he? From what I know of his public personality. It almost seems respectful to think about it that way.

[icon_uk]

I hope not, though it might have been embarassing, had we met, for my first words to him to be "Wait a minute, aren't you dead?"

And timeless is good, timeless is something many writers aspire to.

[cleome45]

HPP is definitely worth a read, if your library has it. I'd say it's about halfway stylistically between the traditional, almost Victorian-engraving style of the Little Bear illustrations and the later period (that I think of as being full-blown as of Wild Things. (And content-wise, yeah, it was a female character Risking All and mostly coming out a winner, though the ending is bittersweet. Jennie has to leave her beloved master to become the "person" she wants to be. A lot of supposed "adult" pop entertainment aimed at women and girls should have had half the maturity of Sendak's fairy tale.)