This is one of the most stunning picture
books I’ve ever seen. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since Ritva used the
winter picture on the invitation as an e-Christmas card last year. And despite
having been to Melbourne on Monday and Tuesday, and my horror of going there
more than once a week (or once a month!) there was no way I was going to miss
the launch – I wanted to see those paintings ‘live.’ They were as wonderful as
I’d expected from that sneak peek, but the book is even better. It’s beautiful
not just to see, but to hold; everything about it is beautifully crafted: the
binding, paper quality, design...
The words, of course, are Oscar Wilde’s, so they’re hard to improve on,
but the paintings have added further depth – and I love how she’s humanised the
giant. He looks an 18th century country gentleman, just oversized.
Reading the story unillustrated, I’ve always pictured a Jack the Giant Killer
type of giant – this version makes much more sense. 
The exhibition, at Melbourne Art Rooms, 418 Bay St, Port Melbourne, is up till 20 December. And if you can’t buy any of the paintings (those that weren’t sold last night!), you can get them all inside the book. (That was what I decided to do.) The book is published by Allen & Unwin Australia and should be available in all good bookshops.
I also admit that seeing the exhibition made me feel lucky all over again that Ritva illustrated one of my books, Poppy’s Path, years ago. It was a little chapter book, so they were black and white line drawings: fantastical, perfect, showing definite traits of Ritva's northern European background (Finland) – and totally unique.
All of her art is worth looking at, and The Selfish Giant and its exhibition are a great opportunity.
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| Art from Poppy's Path |
