From Publishers Weekly
Sills follows her successful Inspirations with another, equally satisfying collection of essays about women artists' lives. Neither stereotypes nor cliches enter into the author's straightforward discussion of her four subjects, whether approaching impressionist Mary Cassatt's struggle to gain acceptance as a woman painter or African American Betye Saar's use of political and ethnic themes in her collages and sculptures. Surrealist Leonora Carrington's tumultuous personal life gets the same even-handed treatment as do her hallucinatory paintings, and Mary Frank's lyrical, fractured sculpture seems to grow organically out of Sills's description of her and the losses she has survived. Photographs of the artists as children and as adults add to the book's intimate atmosphere. The works of art--copiously presented in high-quality reproductions--are uniformly engaging and, thanks to the author's subtle analysis, easy to appreciate. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-- Written with clarity, simplicity, and insight, this biographical work gives readers a glimpse into the lives of Mary Cassatt, Betye Saar, Leonora Carrington, and Mary Frank. While they are perhaps not all as well known as the individuals in Sills's Inspirations (Albert Whitman, 1989), they are important artists. Their determination to follow their interests despite constraints imposed upon them by family, living conditions, and society is evident. Full-color reproductions of each artist's work are included. The text is further broken up by black-and-white photos of the subjects. Design and layout are carefully planned, resulting in a beautiful book worth sharing with many readers. --Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
