Anno's Italy

Anno's Journey #2

by Mitsumasa Anno

book

Genres: Picture Books, Travel, Art, Geography, Childrens, Italy

48 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1978

About the author

His name is written as 安野光雅 in Japanese.

Mitsumasa Anno (born March 20, 1926) was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Monique]

The Christ-haunted landscapes, villages, and famous cities of Italy.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like an art nerd's Where's Waldo?*.

I was going to give it a 3 stars, because the illustrations, while cute, weren't much better than Martin Handford's (though obviously, less populous), and at first glance there wasn't much rhyme or reason to the book. Was it meant to be a progression, I wondered, like in Alle Jahre wieder saust der Presslufthammer nieder oder: Die Veränderung der Landschaft (a very depressing book)? But then we see Florence/Firenze, and then Venice/Venezia, so that wasn't it.

I am reading the 2018 paperback by Beautiful Feet Books, and it has an afterword by the author, as well as a commentary...

If this book hadn't supplied me with Anno's commentary, it would have slid to a 2 or 3 star rating. I just didn't get it. But then, I'm not an art nerd...

This book is a homage to several subjects at once: Italy, various European artists, and Jesus Christ. Anno explains:

Italy is not a stage for the story of Jesus Christ; I myself am not familiar with Christianity. However, I decided to depict some stories form the New Testament in this book. Because the Bible is indispensable to understanding the history and the arts of the Western world, it will be worth learning about whether you are a Christian or not.

I definitely didn't pick up on this thread at all on the first go, just by looking at the pictures.

Mitsumasa Anno's commentary is, in my opinion, the strongest part of this book. I found it fascinating to read the well articulated thoughts of this classical scholar, as well as the more personal content from the author (and even a few anecdotes about the history of and art galleries in his home county of Japan).

Content, by region:
- Orvieto, a hill-town in Umbria
- Vinci, where Leonardo hails from, in Tuscany/Toscana
- Tuscany/Toscana, generalized (Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Florence/Firenze are mentioned in the commentary)
- Savognin (across the border in Switzerland!), where Giovanni Segantini is from
- The Trevi Fountain (Rome/Roma), but deliberately misplaced into a small fictional town.
- San Gimignano in Tuscany/Toscana
- Florence/Firenze with Filippo Brunelleschi's dome and the Ponte Vecchio
- The Genzano di Roma flower petal celebration of Rome/Roma, only he set the procession and petal-paintings in Siena (Tuscany/Toscana)
- The Arch of Constantine (outside the Coloseum in Rome/Roma), only again, Anno's put it into Siena, for reasons known only to himself
- The Flea Market of Florence/Firenze, and the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery
- Venice/Venezia, of course, with most of its famous landmarks

Content, by homage to an artist or work of art:
- The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry, an illuminated manuscript
- Leonardo da Vinci - his hometown of Vinci is depicted
- El Greco's Annunciation
- Michaelangelo's David
- Sandro Botticelli's painting of the shepherds of Bethlehem
- The Beggar by Jules Bastien-Lepage
- Jean Francois-Millet's peasant farmers
- Jan Steen's Skittle Players Outside an Inn
- The old man and the boy, with a dog and a monkey, from the French novel Sans Famille Volume 1 by Hector Malot
- the three blacksmiths of Francisco Goya
- The Langlois Bridge at Arles by Vincent Van Gogh (Anno's comment here is soooo Japanese - love it!)
- Giovanni Segantini's paintings of Savognin in Switzerland
- Millet's winnower
- Gustave Courbet's A Burial at Ornans (also Swiss, I feel I should mention!)
- scenes from the Italian Film Bicycle Thieves, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - One Thousand and One Nights, The Adventures of Pinocchio, and Cinderella
- a mention of the puritanical purge of the arts in Florence/Firenze by the Dominican Friar Girolamo Savonarola, and Botticelli's Primavera & The Birth of Venus that are there in the Uffizi Gallery today
- the three women dancing in Botticelli's Primavera are depicted
- Michaelangelo's Pieta
- The Conjurer by Hieronymous Bosch, and 'other masterpieces' for you to find yourself...
- Pines of Rome by the composer Ottorino Respighi
- The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci
- The Card Players by Paul Cezanne, Portrait of Madame Ginoux by Vincent van Gogh, Chemin montant dans les hautes herbes by Pierre-Auguste Renoir; and William Tell... (shrug - but hey, more Swiss content!)
- a recommendation to see Peter Paul Reuben's The Descent from the Cross

Content, Biblical Commentary (paraphrased by Anno from The New Interconfessional Translation Bible):
- Adam & Eve's expulsion from Eden (Old Testament/Torah)
- the Annuciation, the Angel visiting the Virgin Mary (New Testament)
- Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and taking refuge in a stable, prior to the birth of Christ; an Angel annoucing the birth to the shepherds; the three Wise Men/Magi marking the remarkable/new star in the sky and setting out to follow it; the adoration of the child by the Magi (New Testament)
- Herod ordering the massacre of all infants 2 years and under (and here he draws parallels to The Tale of Heike from Japan), and Mary and Joseph fleeing with baby Jesus to Egypt (New Testament)
- Jesus of Nazareth becoming a carpenter, and the appearance of John the Baptist announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven, and John's arrest by Herod, and Andrew, Simon Peter, Phillip and Nathanial becoming the first disciples (New Testament)
- Mary Magdalene anointing Jesus's feet, and a reference to her being the first witness to the Resurrection (New Testament)
- Passover (Old Testament/Torah), and the last supper (Passover seder), the garden of Gethsemane scenes, and the trial of Jesus by Pilate (New Testament)
- the mockery of Jesus, and his crucifiction, including His forgiveness of the fellow men on the neighbouring crosses (New Testament)

I think I'm going to have to re-read (re-view?) this one and find all the little scenes Anno teases with.

It really is an art-nerd's Where's Waldo. And also, 'a newbie's guide to key scenes in the Bible and the life and death of Jesus, as it pertains to art'.

*or Wally Where's Wally?, or Walter Wo ist Walter? Großes Wimmel-Bilder-Spiel-Buch. I hate when the book is remarketed for another audience and the name is changed. It makes it very difficult to discuss books with foreign friends (and films, even!). And it never makes any sense: Ballet for Drina vs. Cindy, Der Traum vom Tanzen?! Why bother?! It can't possibly make an appreciable difference, surely.

[briz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange, brilliant, and charming book. I have no idea how this could possibly be considered a children's book - unless your child moonlights as an AP art history teacher with the sense of humor and cultural reference points of a 70 year old.

But no matter.

This is such a fun, weird book. I bought it because (a) ITALY, (b) for children, (c) using drawings rich in architecture and perspective. AKA it wowed me the way David Macaulay's books have been wowing me. But whereas Macaulay is _also_ a kind of visual jokester with a master draftsman's hand at drawing perspective and a love of architecture and deep, deep, DEEEEEEEP nerd study, and, okay, an old man and therefore with old cultural reference points, Anno's vision is just... weirder.

First, it's completely wordless. He has an "explanation" of the "scenes" at the very end, but the explanation is rambling, with many digressions just all over the place (most notably, the story of Jesus - Anno is not Christian and this is not a Christian book, per se, but he weaves in Jesus's story and iconography throughout, since it's "important to understanding Western art and culture" - and lots and lots of Renaissance art). You're invited, by the images, to peer very deeply and scrutinize them VERY closely. Anno certainly did. He seems to have hand-drawn every. single. blade. of. grass. in those large rural scene. Every brick in the town.

Oh yes, that's another thing. This book is more an "inspired by true events" portrayal of Italy: Anno makes a hodgepodge of historical periods and places. Brunelleschi's dome is dumped in some random small town. So is the Trevi Fountain. Every awning has the Italian flag on it. In a way, this makes things feel a little surreal. This is not an accurate portrayal of any one place. It's an ensemble of how Italy [makes Italian hand gesture] FEEEEELS. Except for the nationalist awnings, which is very unItalian.

My favorite cultural reference was the unexpected Bicycles Thieves moment.

[Tig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this wordless book with my eight-year old son. It is a glorious journey of imagination, packed with tiny detail that can be explored over and over again.Starting in beautiful wide empty (Tuscan?) countryside, a man mounts a horse and rides through villages, workplaces, to small towns and finally a large Italian city before winding his way out through fields again to the sea. The double page spreads move from scenes of simple artisans and farmers working in sheds and fields, women sitting outside houses and tiny figures moving through huge empty countryside to vibrant cities bustling with parades, church congregations, crowds and street theatre. There are stories to be found in the life displayed: why is that woman so angry with the man? What are those three shifty people planning to do? There is no central narrative, however, though there is progression, and no intructions of what to 'do' with the book. In every scene one tends first to look for the man on his journey,quietly riding without involvement, but there are also many jokes and references to be found: Pinocchio runs out of a house door,Marilyn Monroe holds her skirt down, Michaelangelo's Pieta sits in a street market,the hare sleeps on some alley steps while the tortoise mounts them doggedly, Cinderella runs down a grand Florentine staircase. References come from all over history and time, and modern-day people mingle with those of Renaissance italy. The story of Christ, from his birth in a stable to the crucifixion is a quietly recurring motif, but just one further set of images among many. There is no list of things to spot, so we can never know if we've found all the references it contains.Every time we seem to find something new, whether it's a sly reference to an old story or a small joke. I've read this with my children from the age of threeupwards, and it still holds value for those days when my youngest son likes to be small.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be given to a little cousin, xmas 2018. Maybe Rajko.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in a charity book sale for 50p because the busy illustrations reminded me of some books I'd had as a child, and it looked like a fun book to flip through and then pass on. At 50p, I reckoned it didn't need to do much more than that to be good value.

Then I sat down and started to look through it properly. And was hooked.

The theme is a simple one. A traveller buys a horse and goes on a ride through Italy. There are no words, just pictures. I enjoyed looking at the scenes of busy markets and farms and spotting the various vignettes of daily life...but then I started to notice something more. Little sections in each picture that reminded me of something else. I flicked to the back page and found an explanatory note, saying that the pages have numerous cultural references and also depict the life of Christ from annunciation to crucifixion.

This is the kind of book you can get lost in for hours. I've found so many different references to historical events, paintings, stories and music, and I'm sure I've not found them all. To be honest, I don't really think this is a children's book, because unless your kid is some kind of child prodigy they are going to miss most of the references. It's more of a 'whole family' book - little ones can enjoy looking through quickly and spotting some of the fun scenes, and they can return to it again in the future when they are old enough to recognise some of the other things. This has to be the best 50p I've spent all year, and my copy is very definitely not going anywhere.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anno's Italy intrigued me from the start. The engaging images of everyday life in Italy invite the reader/observer to enter into a world that is complex, busy, engaging and altogether appealing. The reader follows one man on his horse on a journey through the countryside, a small village, the big city and eventually to the sea. Along the way, we are treated to delightful scenes of Italian life, and the reader is invited to sit and stay a while. There are so many vignettes and scenes to explore that one's imagination can barely contain all of the stories on a page. And all the while, it's really fun to try to predict where the man is ACTUALLY going and why? Students of all ages will love this artful and thoughtful tour of the Italian countryside and cities. Younger students will enjoy the colorful and whimsical characters, while older readers are invited to create stories and and plot twists of their own as the man on the horse saunters about. I'm fairly certain one could argue the book is a metaphor and that the man's journey in all of its stages represents the the complicated and beautiful road we all travel in our lives. This book is a real treat!

[Mia Fireheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every page within this book contains full bleed illustrations. It felt as though I where placed in a high building overlooking the different sceneries of this world. The illustrations show different people's interactions with one another and how their everyday life activities are like. For instance, this book shows groups of children playing together, people conversating, doing chores, working etc. Some details that surprised me within this book had been the biblical references. In the beginning of the book, I had noticed a drawing of two naked people leaving a cluster of fruit trees, which I believe is a reference to the Garden of Eden. Other biblical references I had found was Jesus in the manger, The Last Super, and Jesus's crucifixion. There are also fairy tale references that can be found as well! Overall, this was an interesting picture book! There is so much to explore within every single page!

[Virginia Pulver · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delight...there are so many lovely surprises in all of Anno's picture books. The discerning reader will not be disappointed by any of these wonderful picture books.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each exquisite detail of Anno’s Italymade me wish I could watch him sitting quietly, observing a scene - children on a teeter-totter, women picking vegetables in a garden - and see how he sketches.

[Reilly Beaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is on my list simply because it is beautiful and it is unique. I think it shows a lot about everything that encompasses this culture and land, and that it why it is on my list.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alongside Journey, Britain and USA, I believe this wraps up Anno's travel picturebooks and I have enjoyed seeing each country through the eyes of a foreigner (especially his interpretation of Britain). The perspective remains the same throughout, a wonderful bird's-eye overview a poppy fields, Norman churches and stables, abandoned aqueducts and stone carvings of children suckling on the teets of a great wolf.

As with all of Anno's journeys, I take great pleasure in carefully browsing the streets, looking at the past lives but also the nods to great painting, music and literature which have obviously made an impression on Anno himself but what is most interesting this time is being able to follow the story of Christ, from the Annuniciation to the Crucifixion. As I followed this journey, so much of it in terms of the people and the buildings reminded me of Anno's Britain and USA. Anno himself touches on this at the back of his book:

'Physical and natural laws are universal, as are the ways of life for plants and animals throughout the world. Among us all, there are many more things in common than there are things that differ. Watching the sun set in Europe, I was reminded that there is only one sun in the world and it is the same sun from wherever you see it. Although it is difficult for me to understand European languages, I understand European hearts. This book has neither words nor letters, but I am certain that everybody who looks at it will be able to see what the people in it are doing and thinking.'

Maybe it's time that Anno is brought back and shared in the classrooms and we see how similar we all are.

[Jacklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrow this book from the school library and the dust jacket is missing. It’s a shame that I couldn’t see the illustration on it. The background of the cover page is all in red and is rap around, there is only one small vignette within borders on the front cover. The vignette and the border are embossed in gold lines on a red background. The typography of the title is bold and formal and put in a box. It gave me a feeling of renaissance, and once I opened the book, the architectures illustrated also have features of that period.
The medium is not listed. The illustrations show the journey of the author while he (she) travels through a town. Expect for the first and last pages, all the illustrations are full bleed. What is interesting is that the first and last pages of illustrations are almost the same; but the first page shows the view of the town before entering and the last page shows the view of the town when leaving it. Both first and last page of the illustrations are painted in a circle that faded out on the edge, kind of like how old movies begin and end.
There are a note about the picture and the author’s note in the end. The note about the pictures helps readers understand the content. It listed some of the references of materials drew in the illustrations, such as Three Little Pigs, The Last Supper (after Leonardo da Vinci), and there are also references to both of the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible, too.

[Charlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Italy is a land of rich culture and rich history. Combined with modern touches and references to Christianity, readers of Anno's Italy travel through the famed nation without ever having to leave the comforts of their home, library, or school. To accomplish this, Anno depicts a lone traveler riding on horseback first through the Italian countryside, then the many marvelous cities of Italy, and then, going full circle, the lush countryside once more. As readers' eyes feast upon the detailed, watercolor images, they will see such things as Marilyn Monroe, The Last Supper, Rapunzel, and the Trevi Fountain, and the book becomes an interactive experience. Not only can the audience search for the lone traveler, but they can also try to locate as many recognizable figures as they possibly can. One warning: with how miniscule the figures are, the book would be difficult to share with a large group.

[Christa Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that came to mind when I opened Anno's Italy is that the pictures were breathtaking. Each page has so many details and parts to the picture. The colors are all light and airy giving the reader a happy and peaceful feeling. The focus is either on a whole country scene or on a town scene. The focus is not just one building, one character, or one topic. It reminded me of reading a Where's Waldo book where there is just so much to look at but one connecting character on each page, the man riding a horse through all of the scenes and onto the next. He starts his journey in the country and then you follow him to the city. Within each page their are either hidden celebrities references to Jesus Christ, and or historical Italy.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was confused at first, trying to figure out if we were watching the land change over time, or what. It wasn't until I read the back of the book that I realized we were following a man on a horse as he traveled through what appears to be a late 19th century/early 20th century city in Italy. Once I got that, I enjoyed it immensely and had fun looking for the man and his horse in each spread.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like "Where's Waldo" for people with extensive knowledge of history, literature, and culture. So I'm pretty sure my five year old and I missed a lot... Once we figured it out, though, we had great fun searching the detailed illustrations for familiar images and storylines.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this one in hard cover... it is a collector's piece. Look for it at the library, many have Anno's books.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this wordless books, there are lots of details to look at. However, I have to admit my son didn't have much patience for looking at the details!

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best one although 'Journey' is very good too. So I guess I am saying that this is a touch better than (very similar to) 'Spain.'

[Hotspur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the greatest books of my childhood. I loved to learn about foreign countries and it inspired my passion for history and culture!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anno's books are ever so much more interesting than the Where's Waldo? series. The detail! We all love these books.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy looking for all the extra little things the author/artist adds in.