The Snowy Day By Era Jack Keats Analysis

lustrator and author, Ezra Jack Keats, promoted a form of representation not common in his era. His book The Snowy Day, published in 1962, accomplishes the representation of a realistic urban setting by depicting an African American child as the protagonist. Yet, Keats accomplishes much more than racial diversity in his illustrations. The Snowy Day was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1963. The Caldecott Medal praises illustrations and The Snowy Day is remembered today as one of the most important picture storybooks in literature.
Conventions of Picture Art
An important part of picture storybooks is the attention to detail illustrators demonstrate in every critical aspect. These include lines, shapes, space, color, and texture. In terms of lines, Keats intentionally does not …show more content…
Instead, vertical lines appear to be off-center and slanted meanwhile horizontal lines are consistently even. Vertical lines are used to create illusions of height and distance. Thus, it makes sense for a young-boy to look up at grand buildings and even his bed. Viewing something from a position below slants the object to create larger size. Horizontal lines are used to portray calm and stability, usually referring to the ground. In the pictures, buildings’ surfaces and window sills are neatly portrayed depicting order in “boring” objects. It is the new exciting experiences which bounce creating off-details. This comes into place again in Keats’ depiction of shapes. The “boring” buildings and window sills are solid and geometric representation plainness and stability. The great piles of snow and shadowing trees are round and misshapen representing comfort and spontaneity. A lot of empty space is seen throughout the main character Peter’s adventure. The blank canvas is not overwhelming and instead satisfies the purpose of drawing our attention to important objects and some of the blank space