The Secret World of Walter Anderson (Candlewick Biographies)

This sensitive portrait of Andersonthe most famous American artist youve never heard ofpaints him as a solitary man who kept a private room hidden from his wife and children and often took his rowboat to the Mississippi Gulf Coasts isolated Horn Island to glean inspiration. Subdued watercolors evoke the artists love of the natural world, as he paints the coastal setting, eats in the shade of his boat and meanders among wild hogs and raccoons. Following Andersons death in 1965, his wife opens the room that he kept locked, discovering the walls were covered with paintings of a Gulf Coast day. A powerful tribute to the lengths artists will go for their passions. Ages 610. "(Sept.)" Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

Gr 2-6 Born in New Orleans in 1903, this naturalist/painter "]may be the most famous American artist you've never heard of." Anderson grew up on the coast of the Mississippi River. He is best known for his Horn Island watercolors. This wild, uninhabited island was his inspiration and refuge for weeks at a timehis only shelter, the rowboat he used to get there. He would climb trees and wade in the water to capture his subjects; "Art was an adventure, and Walter Anderson was an explorer, first class." While a museum in Ocean Springs, LA, eventually housed much of his art, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the family's personal collection, and Anderson's cottage was left in ruins. Through simple language and quirky details, Bass makes an eccentric, unknown subject exciting and accessible to children. A lengthy author's note includes a more detailed account of Anderson's unorthodox life as well as reproductions of his work. Lewis's watercolors, in the blues, greens, grays, and browns of nature, capture the isolated beauty and wildness of the island. Enrich units on American artists or the environment with this title."Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A gorgeous chronicle of a versatile southern American artist... Superb watercolor technique, dramatic angles and moody shifts of light.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)