My Cup of Art

Gr 1-3–Using the loosest of phrases, “inspired by,” Karolik recreates such pieces as van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Kandinsky’s Composition VIII, Mondrian’s Composition II with Red, Blue and Yellow, and Hopper’s Nighthawks with the inclusion of cups or mugs to show how looking at the world with an artist’s eye can inform everything. She puts a bright yellow mug of steaming liquid against the familiar starry sky in van Gogh’s field of blue with a just-as-vivid sunflower. The handle gives way to reveal beneath a flap the artist’s ear. Egon Schiele’s extraordinary gaze at viewers is concealed in the mug that replaces his head but flips up to reveal it. Next to each creation are facts about the featured artist, the choices Karolik has made, and prompts—often with answers—as to what has inspired the painting. It’s a challenging book, a riveting set of decisions and worthy of rereadings. With its flaps and lift-ups, it’s not ideal for institutional use, but worth the risk. The conversations students might have about that ear-handle alone are worth the cost of replacement copies.