| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 兒童文學研究所 === 94 === Abstract
The works of Anthony Browne allow readers to traverse the worlds of the real and surreal through making visual connections between these two drastically different worlds. Browne’s Willie’s Pictures serves as an introductory guide to the rich and meaningful world of art by presenting art in a unique manner, helping readers to broaden their perspective, develop their own personal taste for art, enjoy an aesthetically delightful experience and cultivate a positive perspective on art. This picture book can be used to draw associations to the history of art, the various learning experiences of great artists, the stories behind the pictures, certain historical references, myths and legends, and symbolic meanings within the pictures. Such topics can be further used to develop meaningful discussions on art and aesthetics in the classroom. Used as a starting point to create various fun and interesting activities in class, Willie’s Pictures can encourage children to develop their imaginative power and stimulate greater interest in students to learn more about art.
This thesis is divided into three main sections: In the first section, I present how Anthony Browne’s Willie’s Pictures was used as the guiding material on two separate occasions — as part of the teaching material in a fourth-grade classroom in Ruiyuan Elementary School, and as part of a speech during a picture book summer camp for teachers of both private and public kindergartens in Taitung County — and compare how the teaching method, learning process, mode of interaction, response and feedback varied in the children and adult groups.
The second section discusses how Browne assembles masterpieces familiar to the readers and uses his own unique artistic language to reinterpret and reconstruct a brand new story in Willie’s Pictures. Browne presents unique perspectives on these masterpieces and explores the inspiration process or driving force through which the paintings were created. When the paintings are presented in a new light, viewers of art naturally reevaluate their perspective and attempt to find new meanings and insights in these masterpieces. Browne effectively presents the personality and life experiences of the painters, as well as the historical background and time period during which the masterpieces were created, to reveal the interdependent relationship between the creators of art and their artworks and seek for deeper meanings beneath the surface of the paintings.
Lastly, by presenting the audio and visual associations drawn by viewing different versions of Richard Strauss’s opera Der Rosenkavalier, and the perceptive comments of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke on Paul Cezanne’s exhibition, I hope to discuss the
application of lyricism and musicality within visual narratives and stories, the viewers’ various modes of interpretation, and further explore and assess the distortion, alteration, transformation, and representation of works of art.
Keywords: Anthony Browne / Willie’s Pictures / Picture book instruction / Visual stories / Art and aesthetics
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