I'm Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People
by Anne Broyles (Author) Victoria Tentler-Krylov (Illustrator)
When dared to jump, Ralph always took the dare. So begins this loving tribute to a singular artist and his tireless efforts to honor and celebrate immigrant and working-class communities through his paintings.
Born in 1914 New York City to Italian immigrants, Ralph’s youth was one of dress factories, ice deliveries, union meetings, and Momma’s stories of the Bread & Roses Strike around the dinner table. By teaching himself how to paint, Ralph discovered a new way to reach working people: he would depict their lives, their work, and American history with electric color at a grand scale.
Focusing on themes of social justice, immigrant rights, labor rights, and the dignity of working people, I’m Gonna Paint inspires to give a new generation the confidence to continue the fight for better working conditions.
Anne Broyles taps into Ralph's indomitable spirit to show his evolution as an artist, while Victoria Tentler-Krylov’s energetic art leaps off the page with wonder and homages to Ralph’s style. Meticulously researched with quotes from Ralph to underline his philosophy and approach to artmaking, the robust back matter includes reproductions of his paintings, historical photos, a timeline, a bibliography, a source notes, and much more.
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Publishers Weekly
A child of Italian immigrants, self-taught painter Ralph Fasanella (1914-1997) grew up to celebrate laborers in his art, as described in a telling that distills formative moments into an overview of his life and work. Spending childhood in a New York City tenement building, he pictured stories told by his mother, a dress factory worker who regularly discussed unions and workers' rights. Later, as a Depression-era teen, Fasanella worked in garment factories and as an ice deliveryman, joining a union before going to work for one. At age 31, to lessen pain in his hands, he began drawing, then painting, learning about art by visiting museums. Hoping to reach even more working-class people through his paintings, he quit his job and, in time, became famous for his politically themed work. Broyles details Ralph's life via an engaging narrative of the intersection between art and organizing, while Tentler-Krylov's closely worked, watercolor-textured illustrations echo the artist's own detailed style. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
★ "The illustrations employ striking, vibrant colors and attention to minute details, masterfully emulating Fasanella's own style. Readers will enjoy poring over them. . . . A very fine introduction to the life and work of a significant American craftsman."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "Broyles details Ralph's life via an engaging narrative of the intersection between art and organizing, while Tentler-Krylov's closely worked, watercolor-textured illustrations echo the artist's own detailed style."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
JNF006040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Art | History
JNF071000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Activism & Volunteering
Painters
Labor leaders
Folk artists
Fasanella, Ralph
