shaun tan report

Shaun Tan born in 1974 in western Australia known as an artist and author for his visual work and academy award winning picture book 'The Lost Things'. His career started when he would draw images for 'science fiction and horror stories in small press magazines'. Since then his work has been 'best known for illustrated books thats deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal dream like imagery'(1).

I have analysed Shaun Tans one of many picture books called the 'Rules of Summer'. His large format picture book is about "the relationship between two young boys, whose friendship is tested by a many challenging situations. It's a story without any particular narrative, just a list of of mysterious rules such as 'Never step on a snail', 'Never argue with an umpire', 'Never leave the back door open overnight' or 'Never leave a red sock on the clothesline'"(2). Seeing the picture book 'Rules of Summer' shaun Tan could have used his own stories as a child like he normal uses some of his own life experiences almost like a guideline for his novels and picture books. The colours use for this picture book are light and candy like which gives off a pastel colour look in his work. In my opinion this gives Shaun Tans work vibrance and the use of contrasting shadows brings it life and warmth like the feeling of Summer. The relationship between the two boys in the story reflects the relationship between shaun Tan and his brother "‘Brothers’ was a helpful way to describe the characters of my own imagination, since I grew up with a close relationship to one older brother but do not think of this book as autobiographical, even though it draws on some personal memories as all creative work must do"(2).

The two image above are two images I want to concentrate on in this picture book 'Rules of Summer. The first images you see is a wide landscape view of a dry grassy field with two young boys, one in the foreground and the other in the background. the boy in the background has a fully built machine robot creature of the imagination whilst the boy in the foreground is still building one like he's too young to know what he's doing by himself. In Shaun Tans comments about the 'Rules of summer'  "wandering with my brother and friends through West Australian landscapes,…It felt like a very static and eternal place and, in hindsight, even a bit primeval or mythological. We were always finding bits of junk and playing with them; people often dumped cars, busted white goods and TVs in bushy fields or dunes"(2). And looking at the first picture you can definitely see some reference between the illustration and his own person stories.

In the second image you see a similar image with the two young boys, the illustration shows the young boy in the background in the first image closure. But in this second illustration time has seems to pass because the young boy which could be referenced as Shaun Tans older brother has several other robot machine creatures lined up like some sort of parade. whilst the other young boy which is in the background this time is still building the same machine he started in the first illustration. Shaun Tan explains in the 'Extras' for 'Rules of Summer' 'so in this case I think there is a feeling of the younger boy of aligning to participate, with the older boy there's a feeling of frustration and this was an interesting subject for me and some residence with my own experience of being the younger of two brothers'(3).

The picture book 'The Red Tree' is a metaphorical picture book that 'invites readers to draw their own meaning' (4). As Shaun Tan is known for having a main child protagonist and in this picture book he has chosen to use a young girl with red hair. This girl seems to be wondering around 'the book is inspired by the impulse of children and adults alike to describe feelings using metaphor - monsters, storms, sunshine, rainbows'(4). Shaun Tan did a painting of the little red hair girl wondering the street with a giant fish which looks like its crying. This piece is called "Darkness overcomes you"(4) there are many metaphors you could make out of this for example where there the giant fish is crying over her is could make it feel as you are drowning or isolation. Because this painting doesn't include text it gets the reader to ponder whats going on in this illustration and the issues this is trying to convey. You get the feeling of sadness the more you look as you can see expressed by the girl as her yea is down and the fish crying.

Bibliography

(1) http://www.shauntan.net/about.html  accessed- 11/11/2014

(2) http://www.shauntan.net/books.html  accessed- 11/11/2014

(3) www.youtube.com/watch?v=5etuXDP3xc4 time- 3:06 accessed- 12/11/2014
(4) http://www.shauntan.net/books.html 'The Red Tree' accessed- 12/11/2014