There are green duck footprints on the floor in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The webbed feet appear hither and thither, as if the little animal just waddled through paint and is leaving clues to follow along the trail. A set of prints leads down the gray steps from the Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Family Courtyard to the lower-level galleries. After passing through glass doors, I see more prints appear. A distant, but discernable noise resounds. Quack! Quack! Are there ducks in the museum after all?
Rounding the corner to the Edward and Nancy Roberts Family Gallery, I see ducks in prints hanging on the walls. And bears. And a whale! The quacking, made by human ‘ducklings’ with plastic beaks, excitedly gaze at the prints and paintings during the November 21, 2016 family preview of the MFA’s newest exhibit, Make Way for Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey. The exhibit opens November 25, 2016 and will run until June 18, 2017.
The exhibit commemorates the 75th anniversary of McCloskey’s classic Boston-based children’s book, Make Way for Ducklings, but also celebrates other works in which he was both the author and illustrator: Blueberries for Sal, The Centerburg Tales, Lentil, Homer Price, Burt Dow Deep-Water Man, and Time of Wonder. McCloskey’s work was recently displayed at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA showing his whole career as an illustrator, but the MFA’s intimate exhibit offers a deep look into different sides of McCloskey’s artistic technique and works. “I thought it would be interesting just to focus on the eight books where McCloskey was both the author and illustrator, […] So it’s smaller but still very rich,” says Meghan Melvin, the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Curator of Design for the exhibit.
The richness in McCloseky’s work shines in many aspects, especially by revealing his humor. “I think he had a fantastic sense of humor [and] I think that […] [visitors] will really be able to tune into that,” says Melvin. will really be able to tune into that,” says Melvin. His humor radiates in a piece from Lentil, showing the namesake character playing the harmonica languidly in a bathtub with a leg dangling, while Homer Price checks the mail while sitting on top of the mailbox in the image from Centerburg Tales. The drawing depicting the from McCloskey’s Homer Price, “Homer Price [is] very fun, playful stories about a young boy in the Midwest. There are sort of these hijinks and capers and [in the exhibit], only selected a handful of illustrations—but they capture that [feeling] very, very well,” she adds. McCloskey’s whimsical side also carries through in the vibrant watercolor paintings of Burt Dow, Deep-water Man, the tale of a fisherman who becomes trapped in a whale. “McCloskey was a trained artist, so there are these very subtle references to contemporary art in his work, which really shows he was very much was attuned to different movements in art,” Melvin says, referring to the Jackson Pollack-esque splatter paint Burt Dow spreads inside the whale to make his escape.
The exhibit also touches upon a rare, personal side of McCloskey, highlighting a few of his fine art pieces and never-before-seen photographs of McCloskey that were supposed to have run in a profile for Life Magazine in the 1950s. “So many of the books really are so closely tied to his personal life and he was documenting his family life on the island in Maine and these photographs just underscore that,” says Melvin.
Another standout aspect is an original miniature of Nancy Schön’s famous Boston Public Gardens sculpture of the mother duck and her ducklings. There is even a figurine depicting a mock-up of a sculpture of Officer Michael, the policeman from Make Way for Ducklings. “Originally it had been Nancy Schön’s idea to have not only the ducklings, but also the police officer,” says Melvin. But due to the scale of the ducks, Officer Michael would have needed massive proportions. “It would have been like having a giant in the Public Gardens!” says Melvin. “I think that’s a really fun little thing that will come as a little surprise. I think everybody feels they know the sculpture in the Public Gardens but most people don’t know that had been her original idea.”
Looking at McCloskey’s work up close, the viewer will see remarkable details that may be overlooked in the images appearing in the printed books are hidden treasures of the exhibit. Particularly in Make Way for Ducklings, little aspects such as finely-drawn architecture on the Boston State House or an intricate peek of the Public Gardens’ bridge in the distance when the ducks enter may be missed upon first glance. The superb, clear imagery of a mountain of books from Centerburg Tales and what seems like millions of leaves and strands of fur drawn in Blueberries for Sal show McCloskey’s great care for not only his art, but also for the story—especially how the illustrations convey it.
“[McCloskey] never lost touch with his inner child, and so I think visitors of all ages will enjoy the show no matter what,” says Melvin, who capped the family preview with a special reading of Make Way for Ducklings. Visiting the exhibit will certainly encourage visitors to read McCloskey’s books, whether or not you’re well-acquainted with the tales of the promenading ducks, a hungry bear, and the adventures of a family in Maine. If inspiration strikes, visitors can even borrow a copy in the gallery to read alongside McCloskey’s original drawings. “[Reading was] something McCloskey was really committed to, as well as he felt very strongly about reading,” says Melvin. “I really hope people come away with an enjoyment of our exhibit, but also be inspired to read more.”
If the duck footprints acted like clues on a treasure map, then the exhibit certainly embodies a treasure trove of McCloskey’s work. No matter if you visit for the illustrations or to see the depth of his technique through items such as McCloskey’s study of bears in the Central Park zoo, visitors of all ages will be able to connect with him, his stories, and his art. At the Family Preview, visitors looked at the beloved author’s illustrations with enchanted eyes as they recognize scenes of Boston. “Those are the same swan boats we went on!” said one woman to her child. If art imitates life, then McCloskey’s artwork definitely brings Boston to life at the Museum of Fine Arts.
For more information, visit the Museum of Fine Arts website and learn more about the exhibition.
Make Way for Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey runs from November 25, 2016 until June 18, 2017.
“Make Way for Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey” is organized by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts. The Museum of Fine Arts presentation is made possible by Northern Trust. With support from the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Exhibition Fund and the Patricia B. Jacoby Exhibition Fund. Media sponsor is Boston magazine. – mfa.org
Originally featured in Wordsby Arts & Culture News.
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