Author Rachel Federman Publisher Prestel Publishing Price £30 Web https://prestelpublishing.randomhouse.de Available NowB
A costume design for a Wild Thing, complete with
annotated notes from Maurice.Storyboards created
for the operatic version
of Maurice’s 1963
picture book Where
the Wild Things Are.Maurice Sendak created this
study to visualise the stage for
the opera production of Where
the Wild Things Are.Set design for Maurice’s version
of The Magic Flute, depicting the
arrival of the Queen of the Night.costumes, showing a small boy inside
with his little hands and feet strapped
into the design. And the watercolour
and pencil design for the Temple of the
Sun backdrop is not only an illustrative
masterpiece, but also a magnificent
insight into Maurice’s historical
influences and inspirations.
But the biggest delight has to be the
artist’s early sketches, which are
accompanied by his annotations andoften document the most rudimentary
design details. It’s just a shame that
Maurice’s flamboyant handwriting is
tricky to read – translations in the
captions would have been welcome.
The seemingly random formatting
of the book’s content also lets it down
slightly. While some pages have
multiple images crammed in, printed
too small to be able to fully appreciateFRUSTRATINGLY WILD This in-depth look at illustrator Maurice
Sendak’s lesser-known oeuvre will conjure both awe and annoyanceest known as a children’s
author and illustrator,
Maurice Sendak also
designed a number of
opera and ballet productions. And
it’s this lesser-known period of his
career that this book explores.
Overflowing with essays discussing
the importance of music and
movement to Maurice, coupled with
over 150 drawings from New York’s
Morgan Library and Museum’s
collection, Drawing the Curtain
presents every developmental stage
of five productions: Where the Wild
Things Are, The Magic Flute, The
Cunning Little Vixen, The Love for
Three Oranges and the Nutcracker.
The cover, an infectious, grinning
self-portrait of the artist, sets a light-
hearted, fun tone. The book’s contents
follow suit, with Maurice’s distinctive
style splashed over every page in the
form of sketches, watercolours,
dioramas and photography.
This book is a real joy to pore over.
Highlights include a cross-section
drawing of one of the Wild Things’Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak’s
Designs for Opera and Ballet
them, elsewhere you’ll find completely
blank pages. It’s also disappointing
that there are a number of images
printed close to or across the spine.
The essays explore Maurice’s
motivations and inspirations in some
depth. This perhaps explains why the
presentation of his imagery has had to
be compromised on occasion.
While far from perfect, the quality
and volume of content here makes this
hardback good value for money. The
many explorations of Maurice’s design
process will reveal a new – if slightly
frustrating – perspective on this
renowned artist’s second career.RATING ++++
The cover, an infectious,
grinning self-portrait of the
artist, sets a fun tone
Reviews