The Red Tree
The Red Tree is another outstanding book by Australian illustrator and author Shaun Tan. The book published by Hachette Australia in 2001 leads us on one girl’s journey through a dark and confusing path of depression. Although each page contains a few words it is the images that capture the reader’s attention with new objects, images and meanings discovered each time the book is reopened.
Shaun Tan has had an impressive illustrative career spanning over fifteen years. He has won various awards as an illustrator on notable books such as ‘The Viewer,’ ‘The Rabbits,’ ‘The Arrival,’ ‘The Lost Thing,’ ‘Tales from Outer Suburbia,’ and ‘The Red Tree (Wikipedia 2011).’
Much of Tan’s inspirations are drawn from the environment around him such as landscapes, buildings, objects and people. He takes these elements and experiments with the relationship between words, images and meanings with a thought provoking look at everyday social, political and historical occurrences such as depression, immigration, and alienation.
Furthermore, the books contain an emotional depth that draws the viewer in. The illustrations portray a sense of dark, yet humble beauty with several layers of meaning and rich sentiment. Tan’s distinguished mixed media illustrations contain an infusion of riveting metaphors, fantasy, subtle symbolism and a mixture of art techniques ranging from cut paper collages to surrealist paintings. The combination of figurative language and imagery communicates to the reader a strong sense of emotion and feeling, yet the meanings are left to ones interpretation and imagination. It is a journey of self discovery.
Fittingly, The Red Tree is a journey that we all partake in through out life. For some, the journey may contain a few hiccups here and there in a relative bright world, for others it may be a detrimental path. It is therefore, a story that can provide solace, discussion and contemplative thought based on the age of the reader. A story that enables
Shaun Tan has had an impressive illustrative career spanning over fifteen years. He has won various awards as an illustrator on notable books such as ‘The Viewer,’ ‘The Rabbits,’ ‘The Arrival,’ ‘The Lost Thing,’ ‘Tales from Outer Suburbia,’ and ‘The Red Tree (Wikipedia 2011).’
Much of Tan’s inspirations are drawn from the environment around him such as landscapes, buildings, objects and people. He takes these elements and experiments with the relationship between words, images and meanings with a thought provoking look at everyday social, political and historical occurrences such as depression, immigration, and alienation.
Furthermore, the books contain an emotional depth that draws the viewer in. The illustrations portray a sense of dark, yet humble beauty with several layers of meaning and rich sentiment. Tan’s distinguished mixed media illustrations contain an infusion of riveting metaphors, fantasy, subtle symbolism and a mixture of art techniques ranging from cut paper collages to surrealist paintings. The combination of figurative language and imagery communicates to the reader a strong sense of emotion and feeling, yet the meanings are left to ones interpretation and imagination. It is a journey of self discovery.
Fittingly, The Red Tree is a journey that we all partake in through out life. For some, the journey may contain a few hiccups here and there in a relative bright world, for others it may be a detrimental path. It is therefore, a story that can provide solace, discussion and contemplative thought based on the age of the reader. A story that enables
References: Board of Studies New South Wales, 2006, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education K-6 Syllabus. pp. 36-37, Board of Studies NSW. Jane, S and Darby, M, 1998, Art is... Making, creating and appreciating, pp 28-29, John Wiley and Sons, Australia. Tan, S, 2001, The Red Tree, Hatchette, Australia Tan, S. n.d , The Red Tree, viewed 23 March 2011, http://www.shauntan.net/books.html Wikipedia, Shaun Tan, viewed 14 March 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Tan2011