Radiant Child and Portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe and Rena Small (American, b. 1954), Portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1985, gelatin silver print, The Norton Simon Museum, gift of the artist
Featured Book: Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe
Featured Artwork: Portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Rena Small
Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe explores the childhood influences that inspired the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to become an artist. From a young age, Basquiat had dreams of becoming a famous artist.
Artist Rena Small (American, b. 1954) is known for using black and white photography to capture images of artists’ hands. In the photograph paired with the book, you can see Basquiat looking at his hands. These are the hands of an artist.
Take a moment to look at your own hands. What details do you see?
Using a crayon on paper, draw a picture of your hands. You can use watercolor paints over the crayon to fill the space on your paper. What do you notice happens when you paint over the crayon?
If you don’t have access to the featured book, select something similar from your child’s book shelf or your local library. Many of the books are also available as read-aloud videos online.