Imagine

With so many wonderful art works in the world, I think all of us have, at one point, stood in front of a painting, thinking: "Oh, I wish I could be part of that". Being able to jump into, or interact with, a painting or picture is a common motiv in both movies and literature. Who can forget the magical chalk art in Mary Poppins or the animated portraits in Harry Potter? It is also apparent in other silent books like Mvsevm by Javier Castàn. This is the idea behind Imagine, and in the afterword, Colón explains how the overwhelming emotional reaction he had to his first visit at the art museum had a deep impact on him, and thus was the inspiration behind this book.

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In Imagine, we meet a young boy skateboarding into New York City. He is headed for MOMA, the Museum of modern art. Inside, his body language clearly expresses his  deep interest and awe for the paintings. Suddenly, the blue, bendy figure from Mattise´s Icarus steps right out of frame! The figure and the boy starts dancing, and are soon joined by characters from other paintings by Picasso, Rosseau and more. Together they exit the museum and have a joyous exploration of the city. After following all the characters back to Moma, the boy draws an big mural of them on his way home. At night, his dreams are filled with art and the experiences he has had.

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Colòn's artwork is colorful and vivid. He has used litograph and Prismacolor pencils in combination with watercolors to acheve this. His use of panels is very effective, especially in the large spreads with two or three inserted smaller panels on one page. This gives room for both a striking big picture, and for focusing on details that makes it easier for the reader to understand what is happening. 

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Amazing artwork aside, the warm humor in this book is also really enjoyable. There are a couple of Easter eggs that are fun to explore: Like the poster advertising Colons first book, Draw!, and the fact that he makes a mural - Colon himself has made a big mural in New York city. The artist' s playfulness is easy to spot in every spread, especially the ones where the group visits New York City's well-known landmarks: The statue of liberty, a hot dog stand, Central park and of course, a yellow taxicab.

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A wonderful book for aspiring artists and dreamers, as inspiration to explore the grand masters of art and a great introduction to art galleries!

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Raól Colón is an award-winning artists who has illustrated over thirty books for children. He grew up in Puerto Rico, and moved to New York City in 1978.

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