Between the Lines
How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
“A visually striking, enlightening picture-book biography.” —Booklist (starred review)
“An absolutely indispensable illustrated biography.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
“A well-sourced, stirringly told account of an artist.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“For sports fans and budding artists alike...a well-told, artfully illustrated story.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A 2019 Orbis Pictus Book Award Winner * An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book * A SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Book Award * A Booklist Top 10 Biographies for Youth * A Booklist Top 10 Art Books for Youth * A New York Public Library (NYPL) Best Book for Kids * A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
Discover the remarkable true story of NFL star Ernie Barnes—a boy who followed his dreams and became one of the most influential artists of his generation—with this beautiful and fascinating nonfiction picture book illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Bryan Collier.
“An artist paints his own reality.” —Ernie Barnes
Ernie Barnes was an NFL football player who longed to make art. Finally his dream came true.
When Ernie Barnes was growing up in North Carolina in the 1940s, he loved to draw. Even when he played as a boy with his friends he drew with a stick in the mud. And he never left home without a sketchbook. He would draw families walking home from church, or the old man on the sofa. He drew what he saw.
But in the segregated south, Ernie didn’t know how to make a living as an artist. Ernie grew tall and athletic and became a football star. Soon enough the colleges came calling. Still, in his heart Ernie longed to paint. Would that day ever come?
Ernie Barnes was one of the most important artists of his time known for his style of elongation and movement. His work has influenced a generation of painters and illustrators and can be found in museums and collections, such as the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the California African American Museum.
Between the Lines is a story of inspiration, spirit, and of an American original who pursued his dream. This enchanting picture book includes pieces of artwork created by this little known artist who captured the truth and beauty of the world he saw around him.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This rich portrait of an innovative and determined artist begins with Ernie Barnes as a child in the segregated South. Despite a desire to pursue art, football was Barnes's ticket to college, where he visited museums for the first time and was dismayed to find no black artists represented ("Your people don't express themselves in that way," a docent told him). But Barnes refused to abandon his artwork, even after being drafted as a professional footballer. Collier's multidimensional collages are a dynamic mix of gridiron action and quiet moments of Barnes with his brushes and canvases. It's a well-sourced, stirringly told account of an artist drawing inspiration from and finding beauty in the immediate surroundings of his world. Ages 4 8. Author's)
