" STARRED REVIEW Rubio, Salva (text) & Efa (illus.). Monet: Itinerant of Light . NBM. Oct. 2017. 112p. tr.
from Spanish by Montana Kane. ISBN 9781681121390. $24.99. FINE ARTS For their English-language debut, Spanish creators Rubio and Efa join forces in this biography of French painter Claude Monet (1840-1926), one of the founders of impressionism. The story opens with Monet as an old man recovering from cataract surgery. As he awaits the return of his eyesight, he reminisces about his past. What follows is a pretty straightforward telling of his life, from his early days as a rebel student to his relationships with fellow artists Camille Pissarro, Auguste Renoir, and others.
We witness his early struggles, financial hardships, creative conflicts, and eventually great success, all in an effort to capture the light and beauty in nature. Monet himself narrates, and most of the text focuses on that narration, which allows the imagery to open and explore much of the same visual landscape that occupies his paintings. Efa's illustrations are stunning; full of strong, lush color and bold impressionistic brush strokes that call forth Monet's style but never imitate. Many panels are designed to resemble the painter's work in order for us to see the world as he did. Verdict This beautiful, evocative story will please fans of biography, art history, and impressionism. Highly recommended."--Lucy Roehrig, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib.
, MI, Library Journal.