#214 of 1001 · March 2, 2021

What if you opened what appeared to be a nondescript informational manual and discovered a philosophical treatise suffused with artistic beauty? This unorthodox premise may well have inspired How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird. The text of the book, originally a 1945 poem by Jacques Prévert “Pour Faire le Portrait d’un Oiseau”, is here translated from the French and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. A series of instructions details the imaginative process of painting a bird, the act of capturing the bird’s image represented by magically capturing the bird itself on canvas. Gerstein renders the poem’s lush imagery with great sensitivity, creating a young painter protagonist to ground the emotional journey. The translation is largely faithful, with two notable departures. Prévert’s uncompromising passage, “Si l’oiseau ne chante pas/C’est mauvais signe/Signe que le tableau est mauvais” (“If the bird doesn’t sing, it’s a bad sign, a sign that the painting is bad”) is softened by Gerstein to “If it doesn’t sing, don’t be sad. You did your best.” And an extra line at the story’s close (“Tomorrow you can paint another one”) opens up tantalizing possibilities for new inspiration to come. #paint #painting #portrait #bird #art #poem #poetry #french #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks