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Willy
Willy's Pictures
Willy's pictures look like great works of art, but not quite. Willy has added himself and his friends to famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso and many more. Delight in Willy's portfolio, then open the fold-out pages to see the original pictures and learn about those who painted them.
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 1999
3 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Browne
158 books315 followersAnthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 22, 2020
An awesome book to introduce kids to classic art in fun way.
September 30, 2015
Willy’s Pictures by Anthony Browne is a book about Willy who loves to paint pictures and gives readers the opportunity to explore his pictures and discover where imagination can lead us.
This is a vertically oriented picturebook. The book jacket looks like a sketchbook which is important to the character in the story because of his love of painting. The end paper is like a blended color of mixed painting colors and is the same in the front and the back which is symbolic because it is symbolic for Willy’s paintings and how the colors mix when he sues different colors. Back of front end page before the title page is part of the narrative and suggests further resources for other great artists and their pictures. The character is also holding the sketchbook we are currently reading or about to view and is also a dedication page. The font used for the title also helps to draw the attention of the viewers toward the book and eager to look at Willy’s pictures. On the title page, the use of framing, within paint compartments are used to depict each character and their names. We are given an image of Willy’s sketchbook gallery because there is a use of borders and torn out pages of white sketch pages. This serves to convey the impression that we are looking through the sketch page into the painting, because there is a use of frame for each character. Background colors or borders are the color of the main paintings in the picture like the central focus of the paintings. For instance, a blue border is used to represent the ocean; green is used to represent the park and nature, etc. I also noticed the use of ellipses among the text which helped to move the story along. Also the font was playful and looks like the main character’s handwriting or that of a child’s handwriting. The use of dialogue in the text also asked viewers questions that made them look at the pictures more closely, like the picture of the Mona Lisa. There was also the use of italics for certain words and the underlining of titles for his paintings. Pencils and paintbrushes were also hidden in all of his illustrations which emphasized his artistry and his love of art. I also noticed how clouds were drawn in the story and how he does this same technique in other stories he wrote like Willy’s dreams or Voices in the Park. Also the sandcastle conveys the emotions of the character because they are depicted as being anxious and are given facial expressions with gaped mouths and wide eyes which he does in other books as well. Zoomorphism is also used throughout the illustrations, like when a child is made into an animal and is depicted like a dog on a leash being walked by a female gorilla figure, also gorilla females having human feet, a gorilla having a human hand, and a religious gorilla with human feet and hands in clouds. The illustrations used in the book are fascinating to look at because they make you wonder why the author included them in his paintings. For example, a painting of a horse is wearing high heels instead of having hooves, which may symbolize that women are mysterious creatures like horses. There is also the depiction of nature having human qualities like trees having human faces or the character’s arms being made into trees. I also found the change of the Mona Lisa interesting because pair of dentures are painted beside her in the picture which indicates why her smile is so mysterious. Throughout the story the character is looking at us or away from us which makes us feel connected to the characters in the story. The story ends like how it began except the main character is not there, only a mask of his face and his colorful designed sweater. However he informs readers to take a tour of the pictures that inspired him. He notes how the pictures tell stories and gives his take and perspective about the pictures and tells readers parts of the original paintings are used in his illustrations.
This is a vertically oriented picturebook. The book jacket looks like a sketchbook which is important to the character in the story because of his love of painting. The end paper is like a blended color of mixed painting colors and is the same in the front and the back which is symbolic because it is symbolic for Willy’s paintings and how the colors mix when he sues different colors. Back of front end page before the title page is part of the narrative and suggests further resources for other great artists and their pictures. The character is also holding the sketchbook we are currently reading or about to view and is also a dedication page. The font used for the title also helps to draw the attention of the viewers toward the book and eager to look at Willy’s pictures. On the title page, the use of framing, within paint compartments are used to depict each character and their names. We are given an image of Willy’s sketchbook gallery because there is a use of borders and torn out pages of white sketch pages. This serves to convey the impression that we are looking through the sketch page into the painting, because there is a use of frame for each character. Background colors or borders are the color of the main paintings in the picture like the central focus of the paintings. For instance, a blue border is used to represent the ocean; green is used to represent the park and nature, etc. I also noticed the use of ellipses among the text which helped to move the story along. Also the font was playful and looks like the main character’s handwriting or that of a child’s handwriting. The use of dialogue in the text also asked viewers questions that made them look at the pictures more closely, like the picture of the Mona Lisa. There was also the use of italics for certain words and the underlining of titles for his paintings. Pencils and paintbrushes were also hidden in all of his illustrations which emphasized his artistry and his love of art. I also noticed how clouds were drawn in the story and how he does this same technique in other stories he wrote like Willy’s dreams or Voices in the Park. Also the sandcastle conveys the emotions of the character because they are depicted as being anxious and are given facial expressions with gaped mouths and wide eyes which he does in other books as well. Zoomorphism is also used throughout the illustrations, like when a child is made into an animal and is depicted like a dog on a leash being walked by a female gorilla figure, also gorilla females having human feet, a gorilla having a human hand, and a religious gorilla with human feet and hands in clouds. The illustrations used in the book are fascinating to look at because they make you wonder why the author included them in his paintings. For example, a painting of a horse is wearing high heels instead of having hooves, which may symbolize that women are mysterious creatures like horses. There is also the depiction of nature having human qualities like trees having human faces or the character’s arms being made into trees. I also found the change of the Mona Lisa interesting because pair of dentures are painted beside her in the picture which indicates why her smile is so mysterious. Throughout the story the character is looking at us or away from us which makes us feel connected to the characters in the story. The story ends like how it began except the main character is not there, only a mask of his face and his colorful designed sweater. However he informs readers to take a tour of the pictures that inspired him. He notes how the pictures tell stories and gives his take and perspective about the pictures and tells readers parts of the original paintings are used in his illustrations.
June 28, 2018
Not only entertaining but also instructional. This is great.. Can be very beneficial in my opinion.
Highly recommended..
Highly recommended..
July 25, 2021
Lo compré para mi sobrino, pero casi que me lo quiero quedar yo. Soy muy fan del trabajo de Anthoy Browne, y especialmente de todas las aventuras de Willy.
March 6, 2012
In his 1924 book Manifesto of Surrealism, surrealist leader André Breton defined surrealism as: "Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner- the actual functioning of thought. Dictation of thought in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern." With this statement, there is an implication that, since members of the mainstream society are proponents of aesthetic and moral norms, the surrealist may attack what the society views as sacred. While Anthony Browne's picture book "Willy's PIctures" is not truly a surrealist work for the sole reason that it is not automatist, Surrealist themes pervade throughout, and Browne does a spectacular job of parodying a couple of facets of life that many hold dear: The Human species' bizarre notion that they have dominion over other animals, and the art in which Humans praise.
Before continuing, it must be stated that is not true that all of the original paintings recreated in this book portray man, however the majority do. Humans, as a general rule, tend to see themselves as being vastly superior to all other living species on the planet, but in this book, Browne replaces the humans in these famous artworks with the brutish gorilla. In some instances, such as in "Lots And Lots And Lots Of Dots", a gorilla is walking a man; the man is completely subservient to the gorilla's will.
This book recreates some of the most famous and majestic works of art known to mankind, including Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", Vermeer's "The Painter In His Studio", and Caillebotte's "Paris, A Rainy Day". Each individual recreation is lined by an outward border (each varying in color), and an inward border that resembles a torn-out piece of notebook paper. Typically, these beautiful pieces of artwork are put on display in some grand canvas and frame, yet here they are placed upon something that can be easily bought anywhere. This gives the viewer the impression that these works were something that illustrator drew on a whim; there are even points, such as in the drawing of "The Kind Women", where the illustrator expresses that he was "bored with painting all that grass." This is a far cry from the traditional belief that the original paintings were masterly crafted or are bastions of complexity.
Can this method be destructive in some circumstances? Of course, but overall this simple tearing down of both human ideas and art, is somewhat humorous. Simply put, the reader is not accustomed to something this absurd and out of place behavior from something that is so similar, and it forces the reader to think about the ideals they love in a different, atypical way.
Before continuing, it must be stated that is not true that all of the original paintings recreated in this book portray man, however the majority do. Humans, as a general rule, tend to see themselves as being vastly superior to all other living species on the planet, but in this book, Browne replaces the humans in these famous artworks with the brutish gorilla. In some instances, such as in "Lots And Lots And Lots Of Dots", a gorilla is walking a man; the man is completely subservient to the gorilla's will.
This book recreates some of the most famous and majestic works of art known to mankind, including Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", Vermeer's "The Painter In His Studio", and Caillebotte's "Paris, A Rainy Day". Each individual recreation is lined by an outward border (each varying in color), and an inward border that resembles a torn-out piece of notebook paper. Typically, these beautiful pieces of artwork are put on display in some grand canvas and frame, yet here they are placed upon something that can be easily bought anywhere. This gives the viewer the impression that these works were something that illustrator drew on a whim; there are even points, such as in the drawing of "The Kind Women", where the illustrator expresses that he was "bored with painting all that grass." This is a far cry from the traditional belief that the original paintings were masterly crafted or are bastions of complexity.
Can this method be destructive in some circumstances? Of course, but overall this simple tearing down of both human ideas and art, is somewhat humorous. Simply put, the reader is not accustomed to something this absurd and out of place behavior from something that is so similar, and it forces the reader to think about the ideals they love in a different, atypical way.
August 23, 2012
Willy is a chimp that stars as the main character in many of Anthony Brown’s stories. In Willy’s Pictures, the idea is that Willy loves to paint and has created a number of reproductions of well known art pieces, each with his own, personal twist. There are several double spread and fold out pages which give some size to Willy’s work and show the great detail of his paintings. In all the pictures the protagonists are changed to chimpanze’s and at the end of the book the reader can see the original paintings to see where Willy found his inspiration. Many of the paintings have clever names which add to the detail of the book and the work.
This picture-book is a wonderful visual experience with lots of witty cap-doffs to the original art and to readers familiar with Anthony Browne. It provides a lovely insight into the relationship between characters within paintings by simply adding a touch of humour to familiar pieces. The relationship between painting and their title is also subtly explored. Readers of any age are sure to enjoy this book whether it be for the artwork alone, the funny reproductions and parodies of classics with cute chimps or the deeper exploration of art with a light touch. This book would be particularly relevant to children from the ages of eight to eleven.
As a resource in the classroom this book could be used as an introduction to a number of different artists and their work or a specific artist and their style. From this point students could do any of the following:
• Debate the positive and negative points to Anthony Browne references to original works – does it encourage individual exploration or does it preclude people from enjoying the work if they are not familiar with the original?
• Investigate the differing responses to Anthony Browne’s reproductions dependent of viewers’ ages, ranging from young children, to peers and then adults within the school.
• Encourage pupils to compare Browne’s work to the originals and suggest why he has changed characters or settings
• Using the book as the start point Investigate how text adds to a picture or overall image then reference an original piece
• Invite students to create their own parody of one of the pieces featured in Willy’s Pictures
• Or find another original piece of art and parody it in their own style
• Visit a gallery or a museum and compare the differing feelings generated by paintings or sculptures
This picture-book is a wonderful visual experience with lots of witty cap-doffs to the original art and to readers familiar with Anthony Browne. It provides a lovely insight into the relationship between characters within paintings by simply adding a touch of humour to familiar pieces. The relationship between painting and their title is also subtly explored. Readers of any age are sure to enjoy this book whether it be for the artwork alone, the funny reproductions and parodies of classics with cute chimps or the deeper exploration of art with a light touch. This book would be particularly relevant to children from the ages of eight to eleven.
As a resource in the classroom this book could be used as an introduction to a number of different artists and their work or a specific artist and their style. From this point students could do any of the following:
• Debate the positive and negative points to Anthony Browne references to original works – does it encourage individual exploration or does it preclude people from enjoying the work if they are not familiar with the original?
• Investigate the differing responses to Anthony Browne’s reproductions dependent of viewers’ ages, ranging from young children, to peers and then adults within the school.
• Encourage pupils to compare Browne’s work to the originals and suggest why he has changed characters or settings
• Using the book as the start point Investigate how text adds to a picture or overall image then reference an original piece
• Invite students to create their own parody of one of the pieces featured in Willy’s Pictures
• Or find another original piece of art and parody it in their own style
• Visit a gallery or a museum and compare the differing feelings generated by paintings or sculptures
November 23, 2016
De los libros para niños que más disfruto. Se aprende bastante leyéndolo y es bastante ameno, sobre todo cuando te obligan a leerlo por quinta vez en la noche :P
October 24, 2018
I gave this picture book five stars. When speaking about first impressions I truly enjoyed the art that was in the story as well as the creativeness that went into it. You had to search a round for little hints, and I really enjoyed how the monkeys were brought up throughout the book.
This book is about a Willy the monkey who loves to paint and he creates a story behind every painting. He also interprets himself in the paintings so you feel as if he is alive in the paintings and it is in present time.
I truly enjoyed the illustration in this book. Each page with a painting on it was unique. The painting was on a ripped piece of paper and the background behind that ripped piece of paper was a color that coordinated well with the painting. Each painting had a lot of detail and brought a lot of monkeys into it. Such as them being the humans and fishing for bananas instead of actual fish. I also like how these paintings were inspired by actual real life paintings that are famous.
Overall I truly enjoyed this book and want to read more of the "Willy Series", I think it brings a lot of creativity to children as well as a fun time. You are never bored by anything and you are excited to turn the page to see what new surprises come your way.
This book is about a Willy the monkey who loves to paint and he creates a story behind every painting. He also interprets himself in the paintings so you feel as if he is alive in the paintings and it is in present time.
I truly enjoyed the illustration in this book. Each page with a painting on it was unique. The painting was on a ripped piece of paper and the background behind that ripped piece of paper was a color that coordinated well with the painting. Each painting had a lot of detail and brought a lot of monkeys into it. Such as them being the humans and fishing for bananas instead of actual fish. I also like how these paintings were inspired by actual real life paintings that are famous.
Overall I truly enjoyed this book and want to read more of the "Willy Series", I think it brings a lot of creativity to children as well as a fun time. You are never bored by anything and you are excited to turn the page to see what new surprises come your way.
April 1, 2019
This children’s book is about Willy, an adorable chimp, and his love for painting. Readers are given a peak into Willy’s sketchbook and have found that he has created many works of art by replacing the original characters with people that are fixtures in his daily life. Willy’s pictures are vividly illustrated, just like the originals. At the end of the book, the author asks readers to see if they can match the recreation with the original.
I found this book to be unique as it introduces students to artists and/or artwork they may have never heard of before. As I finished the book, it made me think of Frank Serafini’s article, "Taking Full Advantage of Children’s Literature." In the article, the author stated that reading an overview of art history moments to students would begin to allow them to critique art. This book does just that. I would recommend this book for students in grade 1st to 3rd.
I found this book to be unique as it introduces students to artists and/or artwork they may have never heard of before. As I finished the book, it made me think of Frank Serafini’s article, "Taking Full Advantage of Children’s Literature." In the article, the author stated that reading an overview of art history moments to students would begin to allow them to critique art. This book does just that. I would recommend this book for students in grade 1st to 3rd.
September 25, 2017
Willy has been inspired by many artistes around the world and he want to share several of his favorite from his sketchbook. The book Willy’s Pictures by Anthony Browne give a sketchbook feel as a cover. The illustration gives hints which famous painting they are. A guide at the end of book reveals which painting it is in the picturebook. You can see on several hidden images of a monkey head, hands, feet, banana, etc. within the clouds, hills, and somewhere in the picture. So, keep your eyes open. I personally enjoyed book because I saw several paintings in real life and was curious to see where the other painting is located at. This book is definitely added to my library.
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May 10, 2020Willy's pictures is an almost-wordless book. The book is supposed to be an album of famous pieces of art work that Willy changes, so that him and other chimps become the subject of each piece of art and adds a title and caption underneath each. This would be a fun activity for the students that they can utilize in an art lesson or a history lesson but they become the different important people from history.
March 16, 2021
This book takes you through Willy's paintings. It seems like Willy has a great adoration for animals, specifically gorillas. The illustrations are so beautiful and realistic. The illustrations in the book easily catches the reader's eyes. It seems like he is inspired by some ancient pieces, like the Mona Lisa. This is a great book that dives into the mind of Willy and seeing his paintings from his perspective.
February 25, 2020
Willy's Pictures is very fun and comical read. I really enjoyed the artistry shown, it complimented what was happening in the book and enhanced the comedy of the events. I always think it's silly but enjoyable when the animals are the personified characters. Definitely a good read to explore Willy's imagination and art, along with your own.
October 29, 2019
This book incorporates parodies of well-known artworks with descriptions mak=de by the book's main character. It is a beautiful twist on introducing kids to art and could be used very well in an art classroom.
October 23, 2021
Famous painting are reimagined starring Willy who has hands down become my favorite chimp. I especially love the guide at the back showing the real paintings accompanied by a sentence or two about the artist.
March 15, 2018
Un buen acercamiento al arte para chicos y grandes :)
June 11, 2019
Was surprised I knew so few of them to identify
June 8, 2024
Entretenida escritura con mi hija.
January 8, 2025
Ai-je encore l'autorisation de clamer mon dégoût pour le dessin Anthony Browne en sachant que j'ai aimé celui-là ?! Vraie question.
December 31, 2025
Me gustó mucho. Más porque acabo de leer un libro sobre obras de arte.:)
December 8, 2021
This book is awesome! It is beautifully illustrated and follows the story of Willy, a monkey who paints himself into the paintings of many famous artists. At the end of the book, there is an informational section that has lots of information about the original works of art and their illustrators. I especially loved the front matter, that stated that "[Willy] knows that every picture tells a story" - I thought that this was a cute moment.
March 14, 2016
a. Summary: It starts off with the introduction of Willy and how he likes painting and the stories they can tell. This entire book was not a continuous flow of a story yet every page had a sentence describing the illustration above. Each page had a unique twist to Willy being apart of these famous artworks that were made into a slightly different way. Underneath every painting there was a title and a caption which tied in a humorous twist to the book as a whole.
i. Review: I really enjoyed this story entirely, I couldn’t stop smiling at how intelligent and unique Browne is with his artwork. I absolutely loved how he every so cleverly made a twist to these famous paintings. In the back of the book there is a glossary like page that opens up and it has all the original famous paintings that he was interpreting that I had open the first time through I read the story. Being able to go back and forth comparing the two (illustration and artwork) make me fall in love with the story even more. The humorous way he went about this book is great for children to be able to see the importance and silliness of the other in a relatable way (even though the main characters were now monkeys). This has truly been one of my favorite books I have read so far, even though it is different and that I am more mature I do appreciate the illustrations much more than I probably would have before. It amazed me how outside the box Browne went to make these illustrations so interesting and true to the original artwork. Overall I would definitely rate the book a 5 out of 5 stars.
b. Illustration and Design: The orientation is a portrait and tells us the significance throughout the story of how each page is a different ‘portrait’ of a famous painting (respect of artwork). This book has a book jacket which has the same illustrations on the hard cover underneath as the outside. The cover is sort of a wrap around in essence it looks like a giant journal or hard covered book with the identical covers folding each corner. There are end pages that are motif of a sandy wash color and texture. Also in the back end page you can unfold the page out two times. Which includes the original artwork pictures and brief summaries of each. There are also the acknowledgements on the outside page of these. The dedication and copy right (2000) page is in the front next to the title page. The medium states the book was typeset in Browne; hand lettering by Anthony Browne, and the illustrations were done in watercolor and gouache. The illustrations were absolutely phenomenal. Each page was bordered with a different solid color and then the illustrations were on a ripping out white piece of art paper (fringes at the top). These illustrations had fast amount of details and colors that were true to the original artwork. All the text on these specific artwork pages were underneath the drawing.
i. Review: I really enjoyed this story entirely, I couldn’t stop smiling at how intelligent and unique Browne is with his artwork. I absolutely loved how he every so cleverly made a twist to these famous paintings. In the back of the book there is a glossary like page that opens up and it has all the original famous paintings that he was interpreting that I had open the first time through I read the story. Being able to go back and forth comparing the two (illustration and artwork) make me fall in love with the story even more. The humorous way he went about this book is great for children to be able to see the importance and silliness of the other in a relatable way (even though the main characters were now monkeys). This has truly been one of my favorite books I have read so far, even though it is different and that I am more mature I do appreciate the illustrations much more than I probably would have before. It amazed me how outside the box Browne went to make these illustrations so interesting and true to the original artwork. Overall I would definitely rate the book a 5 out of 5 stars.
b. Illustration and Design: The orientation is a portrait and tells us the significance throughout the story of how each page is a different ‘portrait’ of a famous painting (respect of artwork). This book has a book jacket which has the same illustrations on the hard cover underneath as the outside. The cover is sort of a wrap around in essence it looks like a giant journal or hard covered book with the identical covers folding each corner. There are end pages that are motif of a sandy wash color and texture. Also in the back end page you can unfold the page out two times. Which includes the original artwork pictures and brief summaries of each. There are also the acknowledgements on the outside page of these. The dedication and copy right (2000) page is in the front next to the title page. The medium states the book was typeset in Browne; hand lettering by Anthony Browne, and the illustrations were done in watercolor and gouache. The illustrations were absolutely phenomenal. Each page was bordered with a different solid color and then the illustrations were on a ripping out white piece of art paper (fringes at the top). These illustrations had fast amount of details and colors that were true to the original artwork. All the text on these specific artwork pages were underneath the drawing.
February 27, 2017
gnarly as bro
March 1, 2024
3.5 stars
September 17, 2011
“Willy’s Pictures” by Anthony Browne is a book about Willy and his beautiful sketches of his own interpretations of famous pieces of artwork from the past. Several artworks include the Mona Lisa, The Tower of Babel, The Birth of Venus, and many more. Anthony Browne’s books are very interesting to me because he uses monkeys for his characters instead of people. I wonder why he chose monkeys in particular, maybe because they are the only animal that looks somewhat of a human. Willy is very adorable throughout the story, he tells the story from his point of view and it shows in making cameos in his own paintings/drawings. All of the pictures look similar to the original pieces which is also interesting and beneficial to students. It can be fun for students to see art in another way than their original style. It can also show that art can be interpreted in many different ways. Browne also did a wonderful job illustrating these pieces of artwork. It’s fun for students to read this book because sometimes serious artwork is hard to understand. But if there is some humor in it, like how Browne possesses in this book, students can see the different perspectives that take place in the story. He also adds different quirks in the paintings that are kind of random compared to the original. It gives students to read with an free imagination that art can take you anywhere and anything can happen in the art world.
September 19, 2014
Willy’s Pictures
Anthony Browne has done it again. Anthony Browne is a talented and multifaceted author and illustrator. I have read Zoo which was a thought-provoking and depressing perspective on zoos and I Like Books which is a simple and light-hearted book about books! Willy’s Pictures shows that Brown is a talented and creative creator that can write about a variety of things. Unlike zoo, Willy’s Pictures is a brilliant story about perspective and art. Willy is a man who likes painting and viewing pictures. He walks through history interpreting famous paintings and sharing them through his imaginative eye. Each picture provokes laughter and smiles as Willy finds himself in some interestingly odd situations in his paintings. Each painting has a title and a blurb about the story that is being pictured. As a reader, it was fun to determine which famous painting the new rendition was modeled after. Some of the interpretations were pure humor while others made me stop and think about the symbolism and significance of particular details and the connection to the text scrawled below. Anthony Browne found the balance between thought-provoking and light hearted at last! After the paintings are shared, Anthony Browne has included a double fold of the actual paintings and their actual stores so that the reader can compare the two renditions and reread this complex yet simple story.
Anthony Browne has done it again. Anthony Browne is a talented and multifaceted author and illustrator. I have read Zoo which was a thought-provoking and depressing perspective on zoos and I Like Books which is a simple and light-hearted book about books! Willy’s Pictures shows that Brown is a talented and creative creator that can write about a variety of things. Unlike zoo, Willy’s Pictures is a brilliant story about perspective and art. Willy is a man who likes painting and viewing pictures. He walks through history interpreting famous paintings and sharing them through his imaginative eye. Each picture provokes laughter and smiles as Willy finds himself in some interestingly odd situations in his paintings. Each painting has a title and a blurb about the story that is being pictured. As a reader, it was fun to determine which famous painting the new rendition was modeled after. Some of the interpretations were pure humor while others made me stop and think about the symbolism and significance of particular details and the connection to the text scrawled below. Anthony Browne found the balance between thought-provoking and light hearted at last! After the paintings are shared, Anthony Browne has included a double fold of the actual paintings and their actual stores so that the reader can compare the two renditions and reread this complex yet simple story.
February 27, 2012
Willy’s Pictures by Anthony Browne is a very different and interesting take on artwork. Willy loves to paint and to look at pictures, and this story goes through a variety of his artwork. As the reader is going through this story, they may recognize some of the artwork. At the end of the story, the reader sees where Willy got his inspiration; there are a variety of pictures from the Mona Lisa to The Turkish Bath to The Tower of Babel to Self-Portrait with Monkeys. All of Willy’s paintings come from some of the greatest paintings in the world. There is a humorous twist however. Willy’s characters in his paintings are always monkeys and there is a lot of detail in each one to make them stand out. The illustrations in this book are great, each one taking the spirit of original painting but adding small and funny details. For example, in Willy’s take of Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, he titles his painting as "Lots and Lots and Lots of Dogs," and includes pigs and someone walking a small boy. Tiny details like this occur throughout this story, which makes the story great for all readers. This book provides the framework for discussion with children; when reading this story aloud, the reader can ask children what is odd in each painting, allowing children to pay close attention and find the humor on every page.
September 22, 2015
At first, we are greeted by a very artistic chimpanzee that is framed within the front cover. He is carrying a paint pallet accompanied by a handful of paint brushes which gives us more of an idea of what the story is going to be about, along with the title. As we begin reading about Willy's Pictures, I immediately recognized some of the backgrounds from my art history classes from college. The book is quite large and is done in a vertical orientation, which I assume is to assist the audience in looking at and getting closer to these mind-blowing illustrations.
Browne hand-lettered all text in the book and the illustrations were done in watercolor and gouache. Each illustration was created to look like it was on a piece of paper ripped out of what I would assume is a notebook. The pages ripped out serve as the frames of the story. There is no real linear approach to telling this story, as each of the pictures Willy drew are very different. Towards the end, the audience is treated to a mini art history lesson when we get to see where Willy got his inspiration. This is an interactive component for students to be able to go back and try and match Willy’s pictures to those of famous artists of the past.
Browne hand-lettered all text in the book and the illustrations were done in watercolor and gouache. Each illustration was created to look like it was on a piece of paper ripped out of what I would assume is a notebook. The pages ripped out serve as the frames of the story. There is no real linear approach to telling this story, as each of the pictures Willy drew are very different. Towards the end, the audience is treated to a mini art history lesson when we get to see where Willy got his inspiration. This is an interactive component for students to be able to go back and try and match Willy’s pictures to those of famous artists of the past.
February 15, 2016
Willy's Pictures is a parodic look at classic paintings through the view of Willy, the chimpanzee. Willy enjoys painting and takes us the reader through alternate stories of classic paintings like the Mona Lisa, The Creation of Adam, and The Tower of Babel using his friends and himself as the characters. At the end of the book, the author shows us the inspirations (actual paintings) for Willy's portraits and Willy's commentary on them.
This book is from the post-modern genre and primarily uses illustrations to tell relatable story on top of classic paintings. For example, "The Birthday Suit" is a parody of "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli and instead of showing the original goddess of love coming out of the sea, it is a painting of his friend getting caught in the shower. The story is non-sequential and uses playful and ordinary language to convey the messages. Anthony Browne does the illustrations in watercolor and gouache, but because of the mixed illustrative styles of the classic painting he is forced to make Willy paint in mixed styles. Despite not having a strong plot, I enjoyed this book because of the innovative artwork and I think it would work well with getting young readers interested in classical art.
This book is from the post-modern genre and primarily uses illustrations to tell relatable story on top of classic paintings. For example, "The Birthday Suit" is a parody of "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli and instead of showing the original goddess of love coming out of the sea, it is a painting of his friend getting caught in the shower. The story is non-sequential and uses playful and ordinary language to convey the messages. Anthony Browne does the illustrations in watercolor and gouache, but because of the mixed illustrative styles of the classic painting he is forced to make Willy paint in mixed styles. Despite not having a strong plot, I enjoyed this book because of the innovative artwork and I think it would work well with getting young readers interested in classical art.
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