Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois

by Amy Novesky, Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator)

A picture book biography of sculptor Louise Bourgeois focusing on how her childhood family life influenced her later works.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography Memoir, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Isabelle Arsenault, I find her illustrations perfect and I've always found Louise Bourgeois' art fascinating so I was so pleased to find this beautiful book. The story of Louise's life is well told and the illustrations are exquisite. There are a couple of technical terms that aren't correct on a page of tools of the trade but in general it's a really interesting and informative story. It was nice to see some quotes and sources in the back pages and a photo of Louise's work. Highly recommended for an enjoyable, inspirational and informative read.

Picked up a copy of this at a library sale today, happy to have a copy but sad for the library to have lost a beautiful book. Rereading this has made me want to find out more about this artists work.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Drawing is like a spider's thread."

I read this because I picked up all the picture books illustrated (some written, too) of Isabelle Arsenault. This is one of her most amazing artistic accomplishments. I had no idea who Louise Bourgeois, a sculptor and weaver, was. This book, for all ages, gives us the basis of Bourgeois's art in her life. Her mother was for Bourgeois her most gentle and encouraging influence, and like a spider, too:

"Deliberate, patient, soothing, subtle, indispensable, and as useful as a spider."

"If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn't get mad. She weaves and repairs it."

Her mother made space for beauty, and magic:

"My childhood has never lost its magic, never lost its mystery."

The story is subtle, with an appendix that fills in gaps, gives a fuller history, but for me the real triumph of this book is Arsenault's use of the idea of weaving threads throughout to give her own interpretation of Bourgeois's art, her own waving threads of lines and color and images.

Do yourself a favor and read Maria Popova's superb professional view of the book and see some of the images. Just five minutes and your day will have become better:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/04...

Then get/read a copy of the book yourself.

Here's what all the fuss is about, the art of Louise Bourgeois, who made art until she died in 2010, at the age of 98:

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-bou...

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing book that leaves me feeling a bit uncomfortable due to my sensing a dark undercurrent. I didn't know anything of the life of Louise Bourgeois when I began reading this book. I chose it based on the high rating of a GR friend and the cover art. Some of the illustrations are truly stunning and yet at the same time leave me feeling a sense of melancholy. The following might be otherwise interpreted, but I felt a deep sadness as I read: "Louise would study the web of stars, imagine her place in the universe, and weep, then fall asleep to the rhythmic rock and murmur of the river water." Then, the phrase, "Louise's father was not a restorer," gave me pause, perhaps it is ambiguous, but perhaps full of meaning. Apparently, Louise's father traveled often leaving "Louise so mad, she threw herself into the river." I am not sure quite what to make of that. Could the 'river' refer to the weaving of thread? Did she throw herself into the work of weaving, or is there a darker meaning? Next, Louise faces disappointment in her studies, and then, she works through her grief at the death of her mother. Finally, she "gathered all the fabric of her life [...] cut it all up" and then, over the course of the rest of her life she creates works of art that tell her story. We are told that, "weaving was her way to make things whole." It appears to me that Louise found meaning and fulfillment through her art.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I got this sent to me by the publisher after I requested it but this in no way affects my review *

This story is simple, it's the tale of Louise Bourgeois and how she grew up under the wing of her mother. This later influenced her to imagine and present great sculptures and works of woven art, and this is what the story shows. It doesn't do anything much more than that, it is, very simply, an illustrated and simple biography, except that it's not just simple... the illustrations are stunning.

The illustrations are what really bring this up to a 4* rating for me. I love the way that you see a blend of soft cremes and vibrant reds as a theme for the whole book. Some of the pages are bold, bright and in your face, some are softer, more subtle and beautiful to look at.
The story is told through the illustrations. You can see the relationship Louise has with her mother, and the relationship she has with art. You also get to see this evolve, extend and become something unique to her.

Truly, this is a sublime read, not so much becuase of the words (although some of the quotes included are very nice) but more for the overall design and the way that the swirling, spiralling flowers and fabrics enclose the words and story of her life.

A definite recommended book for lovers of art or for younger readers who haven't really got into art yet but want to. It doesn't tell you a lot of unusual or quirky stuff, but what it does is take you on an imaginative and visual journey. 4*s - recommended :)

[Ilana (illi69) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated story of French artist Louise Bourgeois in a book presumably meant for children but with such sophisticated artwork and text that it works for readers of all ages. The Bourgeois family specialized in repairing and weaving old tapestries and frayed cloths, and Louise came to see her mother as a kindly spider, a repairer of broken things. As she said: “If you bash into the web of a spider she doesn’t get mad. She weaves and she repairs it.” Her mother was her best friend and Louise took her death very badly, being still a student when she passed away, which explains why she went on to sculpt giant spiders which were meant to celebrate her mother when Louise later became an artist.

I’m a huge fan of illustrator Isabelle Arsenault and am simply in love with her illustration style, blending beautiful watercolours with vintage drawings and imagery, often with a collage effect with a stunning colour palette. She’s a fellow Montrealer and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have once been in a position to commission artwork from her to illustrate a difficult subject matter for the magazine I was working for at the time. I did so because she also has a huge talent conceptually and was able to come up with a truly novel idea to illustrate an article that was impossible to match a photograph to. While she is a genius creatively and technically she is also humble and perfectly pleasant. I have the greatest respect for this artist and am always eager to see her latest projects. This one, like so much of her work, combines beauty and high quality with a very interesting subject matter.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the most gorgeous books I have had in my hands in a long time. The illustrations and lyrical text merge into a swirling river that take us through Louise Bourgeois' early life. Then why did I rate this book a 2? Because it failed to meet it's basic objective which was to introduce Bourgeois the artist. So much time was spent on the idea of threads and a river connecting the phases of Bourgeois' life that the book never introduces Bourgeois' artwork except for the great spider! I understand having read other books on Bourgeois that the author does an excellent job representing Bourgeois' early life. But why is she remembered? Her art and where is it in this book? And what is that part about Louise throwing herself into the river because she was so depressed that her father was not home? Really the author thought it was appropriate to include in a children's book? Sorry, but drop dead gorgeous does not equal good!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, and a bit melancholy. Very touching. Beautifully lyrical storytelling with skillful weaving of some wonderful quotes from Burgeois herself. I appreciate the focus on repairing (tapestries, and, to an extent, broken hearts) and that spiders are seen in a positive light (but, if you have sensitive youngsters, do note that the spider illustrations and photographs of Burgeois' actual spider sculptures might be a bit frightening). Appreciate the author's note and sources.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. The visual depiction of Bourgeois' childhood milieu of weaving, textiles, the river, the natural world, maman as the formation of her artist's inner being is superb. Spend a few minutes with this yourself even if you don't have a child.

[Christine Bergeron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cet album illustré par Isabelle Arsenault est d’une beauté à couper le souffle! Évidemment, la biographie aurait pu être plus étoffée, mais elle aborde avec une grande douceur la vie de la célèbre artiste Louise Bourgeois. C’est beau, c’est inspiré et très accessible.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nefarious plan of reading all of Isabelle Arsanault's books she's illustrated for will soon be complete. My heart shall be full, and my crops watered. All shall be good again.

Cloth Lullaby I think is the most experimental of Arsanault's illustration, as she truly brings the concept of Bourgeois' weaving into the art and line itself. Some of the pages truly are breathtaking, and with some pages it truly is a waste to spend just a second looking over the page. The way she mixes indian ink and pencil right next to bright gouache and pure red and blue ink is something rare in illustration, and really stands out in this picture book. Arsanault also references a lot of Bourgeois' own drawings in her illustration without directly copying them, only hinting at them, which I also love.

I can see children being drawn to the illustrations, but not necessarily the story? There are some parts of the book where I was like, why was this text included? I don't think some children are going to want to know about the types of plants in their garden, especially since these plants aren't really mentioned as a plot point again. I know as a child, I would certainly be bored to tears with some of the random bits of text thrown in.

I feel like this picture book would have perhaps worked better as a mix between a graphic novel and a picture book, as what Luke Pearson does with his picture books work really well. Some of the lines in this novel feel like they're attempting to be lyrical, but don't quite get there, and I feel like that they would have suited that context more, rather than a picture-book.

I do like that they added some of Bourgeois' own quotes into this book, though I don't feel as if they showed the full scope of her own art within this book. Instead of adding random junks of writing devoted to plants that had no real relevance to her life, they could have added some more context behind some of her work. As some of the context to her work and her fame is just sort of thrown in at the end in the notes on the book.

I am rating this five stars though, because Isabelle Arsanault exists and I am happy that she does.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this lyrically-told, beautifully-illustrated biographical picture-book, author Amy Novesky and illustrator Isabelle Arsenault weave the story of 20th-century French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, who is particularly noted for her large-scale sculpture. Bourgeois often used the image of the spider in her work, a figure who represented her beloved mother, a weaver who worked in tapestry restoration. As the title of Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois makes plain, images of weaving and fabric are important in understanding this artist's life and work, and author and illustrator carefully chose various strands of story and image in creating a narrative that emphasizes the influence of her mother and childhood on her later development as an artist.

Although less of a standard biography - many of the details of Bourgeois' life are absent, particularly her strong left-leaning activism in the 1970s - than it is an exploration of certain themes in its subject's life and work, Cloth Lullaby is nevertheless an informative book, one which will introduce many children to an artist they might otherwise not have encountered. The artwork by Isabelle Arsenault, who also worked on the marvelous French-Canadian graphic novel, Jane, the Fox, and Me , is simply beautiful, utilizing a variety of media - pencil, ink, pastel, watercolor and photoshop - to create a rich visual feast. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about artists, or about the ways in which our childhood experiences shape us.

[Hannah Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that requires your undivided attention. The language is dense and thought-provoking: “If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn’t get mad. She weaves and she repairs it.” The illustrations are absorbing and complex. And Louise’s devotion to her mother and the all-consuming grief she feels when she loses her mother are both beautifully woven throughout the illustrations and story of her life.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is complicated for me. This book covers Bourgeois' early life thoroughly but doesn't really give us a view of what is most famous for and that, I suppose, could be considered a failing, but I loved the way it gave us a sense of why she felt the need to create. Also, my view is skewed because I do love Bourgeois' work and I identify with the spider in my own personal life and one of the truths offered in this book, a direct quote from Bourgeois, rocked my world and gave me further insight into why the universe sends the spider to me as a symbol and reminder so many times. "If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn't get mad. She weaves and she repairs it." Bam. Just, bam.

[Bridgette Guerzon Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this at the library to introduce my 9 year old daughter to Louise Bourgeois’ work and because the illustrations are just beautiful. I’m a sucker for good art in books. My daughter unfortunately was not interested in reading it, but I did! I found it to be be poetic and minimalist in the writing. A perfect pairing with her work. The illustrations are so wonderful-a visual treat.

[Miriam Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up for the art. Beautifully done.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise grew up alongside a river that wove through her life. Her mother restored tapestries and from age 12, Louise helped too by drawing in the missing bottom edges of tapestries. At her mother’s side, Louise learned about weaving and patterns. Louise eventually went to school in Paris and studied mathematics and cosmography at university. While at college, her mother died and Louise turned to art to express her feelings. She created enormous spiders out of metal and stone, naming them “Maman.” She took the fabrics of her life and cut them apart, working to put them back together in new ways. It was a tribute to her mother and her childhood expressed in art.

Novesky’s picture book biography keeps the magic of Bourgeois’ childhood intact. The book ends with an image of the artist and one of her spiders as well as a quote that speaks to her never having lost touch with the magic of her childhood. That quality weaves throughout the book where both the river and the restoration work create moments of inspiration and amazement. There is such beauty in the quiet work of restoration as well as the knitting activities of spiders. Readers will immediately understand the connection of wool and web in her art.

Arsenault’s illustrations are alight with that same magic and inspiration. In one image of Louise’s mother, there is a certain spider-ness there, subtle but also clear as she works with her black wool. All of the illustrations in the book celebrate pattern and weaving. There is a limited palette of reds, blues and grays that evoke the richness of tapestries and the excitement of art.

A top pick for picture book biographies, this book pays homage to a female artist that many may not know. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

[Kari Yergin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading biographies in picture book form. This one didn't fail me in terms of beauty of the illustrations, the imagery and the language*, and the subject's connection with her childhood home, her family, and her mother in particular. I was hoping for a bit more about Louise Bourgeois' artwork but it piqued my interest so I'd call that a success.


* some of the language that really appeals to me I found at the end of the book were actual quotes from Louise herself:

The color blue pinches my heart.

If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn't get mad. She weaves and she repairs it.

My childhood has never lost its magic, it has never lost its mystery, and it has never lost its drama.

Not from Louise but from this author are the following:

She was deeply disappointed to learn that math, like life, is uncertain.

And because she did not want to forget a thing, she made a book about forgetting.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful biography of the world-acclaimed sculptor, Louise Bourgeois. The fact that the illustrations are by Isabelle Arsenault is enough to give it 5 starts itself but fortunately, Novesky plays cleverly with the biographical narrative by weaving in allusions to spinning stories and memories through the fabric of the tale - a clever metaphor for how Louise Bourgeois envisioned her own mother. An interesting companion book to Sophie's Masterpiece: A Spider's Tale

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations skillfully conveys facts about the MC in this picture book biography. Shines light on a forgotten artist. The text is creative and interesting, but sometimes hard to understand--too metaphorical or flowery instead of poetic. Takes a long time to introduce the reader to her art. Shines light on a forgotten artist.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lofty, dreamy, art-y children's book about Louise Bourgeois. Gorgeous illustrations, but the story is disjointed and awkward, but it kind of reminds me of free associations. I liked how she worked the spiders in throughout the story, I showed my daughter pictures of the sculptures after we'd read it. Totally worth the read just for the pictures.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Art is restoration: the idea is to repair the damages that are inflicted in life, to make something that is fragmented – which is what fear and anxiety do to a person – into something whole.” - Louise Bourgeois

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning!

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pinched my heart.

[Emily Scheinman]

Lush illustrations combine informative text. Story really does weave in and out like a lullaby.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book biography has lovely illustrations, but the written content is profoundly bizarre. The text jumps from one thing to another much too rapidly, without the author building on or explaining anything she has just said. Most egregiously, she suddenly declares that Louise was so depressed because of her father's constant traveling for business that she threw herself into the river next to their home. The author then rushes ahead to her next, unrelated thought, without stopping to unpack any of that.

I wondered if this was an actual suicide attempt, or if it was an attention-seeking cry for help to convince her dad to stay home more. I have no idea, since the author didn't think this warranted an explanation, but either way, I don't think it's an appropriate thing to offhandedly mention in a children's book. There are also unexpected large pictures of spider art near the end of the book. The author leans heavily on spider metaphors throughout, so I wasn't totally surprised, but there's nothing in the title or book description to suggest that this artist was better known for her spider models than her work with textiles, and the spiders will creep out some unsuspecting children and adults.

Although the apparent suicide attempt is the most disturbing thing, there are lots of other weird elements in the book, and it's never fully clear what art Louise Bourgeois was best-known for until the author's note at the end. The book jumps from scattered thought to scattered thought, all drenched in metaphor, without properly introducing Bourgeois's childhood (aside from the bizarre elements), later life, career, or legacy. This doesn't do any of the things that a picture book biography is supposed to do, and just dazzles adults with Art, Metaphor, and Scattered Bizarre Thoughts.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking artwork. I never knew that Louise Bourgeois studied math before her mom died and then changed her focus to art. I believe this book is meant for children, but parents should read it beforehand because of discussion of the mother's death and of Louise's throwing herself in a river. Also some of the words are high-level and may frustrate young readers.

[Sophie Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful tale about the relationship between a mother and daughter and the connections of thread and spiders. I really love the illustrative style in this book, I think the use of lines is really powerful. The colours really depict the characters thoughts and feelings and add to the emotions throughout the story. I think it’s a wonderful book!

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book biography of a very very unique individual. If I were to guess I would say this artist qualified as an "highly sensitive person" or at least was perceived to be that way by the author and the book highlights her often negative emotions that fortunately get channeled into her art.

[Gretchen Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, challenging language- craft reflects story. Great mentor text for info writing - info writing doesn't mean lifeless!

[Jennifer B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just so lovely and pretty! I'm loathe to return it to the library.