A Study of Jimmy Liao''s Picture Books

• Main Authors: Chiung-yao Huang, 黃瓊瑤
• Other Authors: Charng-Jiunn Lee
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2003
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/57005115357841058447

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 美術學系在職進修專班 === 91 === After working in an advertising agency for years, Jimmy Liao chose illustration as his new battlefield. His first shot in picture books in 1998 brought Taiwan the big craze. Up to now, his sixteen picture books, widely known and loved, have frequently appeared on bestselling lists. Besides, these works also come into the markets of foreign countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, Greece, Korea, Japan, etc. Jimmy’s precise description of emotions, as well as successful marketing, turns his pictures into the “moons” that readers desire while the dreams realized in the by-products provoke readers’ enthusiasm to follow Jimmy determinedly. In the current society, dominated by commerce, this so-called “Jimmy Phenomenon” is obviously surprising: how can an illustrator like Jimmy achieve his success in such a short time ? Also, apart from Jimmy’s personal life experiences, what kind of business do those little pictures hint no matter they are cute, humorous, or sorrowful? Throughout the history, the cooperation of art and commerce have been presented in a lot of examples while it is Jimmy, as an applied artist, who broke the silence of Taiwan’s picture books, primarily depended on foreign artists for decades. This study firstly aims at Jimmy’s background as well as the exploration of his works. Then, it moves to discuss the relationship between art and commercialization by observing the fad Jimmy caused during the past years. Furthermore, this paper also tries to anaylze how producers make use of multi-media to increase the influence of the texts. In this multifarious 21st century, if the writer of picture books can successfully attain multiple crossings in arts, is it possible to change the stereotyped, marginalized location of picture books in cultural genres? Or is it likely to bring even more chaos instead? The end of this paper concludes that the body of this research can find out its own meaning and location in this flowing era if the relationship and strategies between cultural production and consumption can be cleared up.