Robert McCloskey: the Unknown Artist

BLUE HILL, Maine - During the month of July, the Blue Hill Public Library will show a selection of rarely seen works of art by the well-known children’s author and illustrator Robert McCloskey. The artwork is on loan from McCloskey’s two daughters, Sally McCloskey and Jane McCloskey.  The exhibit is entitled, Robert McCloskey: the Unknown Artist.

The paintings in this exhibit are very different from the artwork found in McCloskey’s beloved books, such as Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings and One Morning in Maine.  The selection depicts family life, kids at play, scenes from vacations in Mexico, Spain and Portugal, and various animals and birds.  Most of the works are in oil and a few in acrylic.

Jane McCloskey will give a presentation on her father's use of design at the library on Monday, July 14th at 7:00 PM.  He used a system called dynamic symmetry, which is based on the “Golden Rectangle” and other rectangles with particular proportions. Jane says that she believes that dynamic symmetry makes her father's work both bold and precise.

According to Sally McCloskey, in this selection of paintings, which date from 1945 through the 1980’s, “One can see how he went from representational to geometric to abstract forms of painting.” The exhibit will be available for viewing during library hours for the month of June. For more information, contact the Library at 374-5515.