Elizabeth Borton de TreviƱo
Paperback | Pages: 192 pages Rating: 3.73 | 7635 Users | 398 Reviews
Identify Books Toward I, Juan de Pareja
| Original Title: | I, Juan de Pareja |
| ISBN: | 0312380054 (ISBN13: 9780312380052) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Diego VelƔzquez, Juan de Pareja |
| Setting: | Spain |
| Literary Awards: | Newbery Medal (1966), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1967) |
Representaion As Books I, Juan de Pareja
When the great VelĆ”zquez was painting his masterpieces at the Spanish court in the seventeenth century, his colors were expertly mixed and his canvases carefully prepared by his slave, Juan de Pareja. In a vibrant novel which depicts both the beauty and the cruelty of the time and place, Elizabeth Borton de TreviƱo tells the story of Juan, who was born a slave and died an accomplished and respected artist.Upon the death of his indulgent mistress in Seville, Juan de Pareja was uprooted from the only home he had known and placed in the charge of a vicious gypsy muleteer to be sent north to his mistress's nephew and heir, Diego VelĆ”zquez, who recognized at once the intelligence and gentle breeding which were to make Juan his indispensable assistant and companion—and his lifelong friend.
Through Juan's eyes the reader sees VelƔzquez's delightful family, his working habits and the character of the man, his relations with the shy yet devoted King Philip IV and with his fellow painters, Rubens and Murillo, the climate and customs of Spanish court life. When VelƔzquez discovers that he and Juan share a love for the art which is his very life, the painter proves his friendship in the most incredible fashion, for in those days it was forbidden by law for slaves to learn or practice the arts. Through the hardships of voyages to Italy, through the illnesses of VelƔzquez, Juan de Pareja loyally serves until the death of the painter in 1660.
I, Juan de Pareja is the winner of the 1966 Newbery Medal.
Latino Interest.
Define About Books I, Juan de Pareja
| Title | : | I, Juan de Pareja |
| Author | : | Elizabeth Borton de TreviƱo |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 192 pages |
| Published | : | April 29th 2008 by Square Fish (first published June 1965) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Young Adult. Art |
Rating About Books I, Juan de Pareja
Ratings: 3.73 From 7635 Users | 398 ReviewsEvaluation About Books I, Juan de Pareja
Engaging characters and a fast moving story - informative, too.I don't know if I would know these painters better if I was more familiar with art history, but I found this speculative work about their lives to be very good. The relationship between master and slave/apprentice is endearing. I wish that I had known going in this story that it was historical fiction about real people. Of course, anytime a narrative about lives such as these is created there are many generalities that must be made and some artistic license is taken with filling in the gaps.
It was a nice quick read. I liked that it was told in the narration of the slave Juan de Pareja. The author gave him a sad but happy life, with what little is known about him and his Master, Spanish painter Diego Velazquez of the 17th c. Pareja meets good people that want to help him throughout his life journey. Juan has a good heart and loves his Master and Mistress, which turn out to be a blessing to him bc they are good hearted people that actually treat him well almost like a family member,
A tremendous book. Though intended for children, it is the work of a mature writer, showing depth and nuance.There are two odd errors that, to my knowledge, have never been corrected in the half century since publication: p.44 "an access of enthusiasm" should be "an excess" and p.66 "weasle-eyed" should be "weasel-eyed." Of course, these do nothing to diminish the greatness of the book.I see that some editions have taken the image of Juan with King Philip that was originally on the back of the
This book was interesting, and I enjoyed it as I was listening to the audiobook (which disappointed me a bit. I think the narrator should have been male.) But it is not a favorite and I would not really recommend it to any of the kids I know unless they had a particular interest in art. There was not a lot that actually happened, and the time span of decades made it difficult to connect with the characters sometimes.Perhaps it was the fault of the audiobook narrator at times, but in general I
Newbery Medal Winner--1966This started off slow, but by the end I was surprisingly emotionally invested in Juan, his kind master Diego, and their families. The fact that this is based on real people (though little is actually known about their lives other than their names and that they were painters, along with a few other tidbits included in the story) made it even more interesting. I think I would have enjoyed it more had there been more dialogue, but it's told like an autobiography so there's
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