The Starry Starry Night (Assignment3)

 Touching story delivers the value of life

It is an illustrated artwork including colorful pictures and poetic words to delivers an impressive story which touches many readers around the world. The story was talking about the experience about the girl who suffered the poor relationship with her parent and hectic dailylife. Subsequently, she left the city with a speechless boy, who met in the school, and visited her grandfather’s home in the village where the place she grew up. After the memorial trip, the girl got sick. When she recovered, she found the boy left silently. “The starry starry night” encourages the teenagers who are misunderstood by the adults and encounter obstacle to bravely overcome their difficulties since facing obstacle is necessary when growth. Teenagers seem be stars in the sky and sometimes meet intimate friends but they just pass over eventually. Nevertheless, teenagers should insist on their faith.

The style of the artwork

This is different from other illustrators, Jimmy Liao insisted not to use computer software to draw his artworks since he thought that it might produce some sense of distances between him and his audiences. Therefore, every pieces of his artworks were created by watercolor, color ink, stylus and acrylic pigment painting materials. We can truly feel Jimmy’s enthusiasm. In addition, this artwork expresses a bittersweet loneliness touching alienated youth in hectic city.

The cruel world

Teenagers who leave childhood and enter adulthood may encounter difficulties, especially this competitive world. You can be protected under your parents’ shoulders being a child while you need to be independent being a teenager. Lizard is eating a butterfly. The dirty-green liquid is lying on window. Jimmy sufficiently described the dangerous world by illustration and symboled the uncertain futures that teens might face.

The red balloon

The red balloon is interesting placed in different pages. It appears in front of the door of the girl’s room. It appears in front of the window when she has noticed that her grandfather is gone. It appears near the boy. It eventually breaks down above the girl’s window. The red balloon may symbol the hope or dream of the girl. She has hope in the first time even though she receives a bad new about the death of her grandfather. Encountering tragedies and suffering difficulties let her become hopeless and question about the ability to live in this world.

One point perspective

Jimmy used one point perspective to impress the theme.

We and the parents focus on the girl but she avoids facing it since she puts the apple in front of her face. This impresses the helpless and loneness of the girl. 

The girl and the speechless boy seek the exit of their adventure.
It seems like a hope during the trip. 

The upper angle

The stars are reflected on the water, they seem to be swimming with the stars. The upper angle not only can create this beautiful sight, but also reveal how tiny we are comparing the earth. What is more, it expresses a released feeling.

The growth of the sakura

Jimmy skillfully used the growth of the sakura to symbol the growth of the girl. The sakura experiences the change of the weather and season, and eventually it is flourish.

Illustration interacts with elegant literary

“窗外的煙火好熱鬧
屋子裡卻冷冷清清”
Liao J. (2009)

There is lively firework outside the window while there are lonely in the room. It can impress the isolated feeling of the girl by comparing various situations.

Reference

The effect of the artwork

1.     To break the rule that texts override the illustrations
In the past, the texts override the development of the illustrations since the description tool is texts. However, in “The Starry Starry Night” the illustrations are the description tool while the texts are assistance

2.     To be successful to across the barriers of children's literature and shape a new genre----adult picture books
The target of “The starry starry night” is not only for children, but also the teenagers, the adolescent and the adult.

3.     To develop of the artwork via different medium (especially the business of art product)
-Space for installation art: In 2009, Jimmy held the exhibition about “The Starry Starry Star " in Huashan Creative park. It combined with a number of artists from various domains such as fashion and interior design. Using different media or method to describe the artwork.

- Movie: In 2011, “the Starry Starry night” was adapted for movie.

-Different life products: The image in the artwork was constantly copied. Thus, it could be seen on many dailylife products, such as pencil cases, watches, laptop, MRT tickets, T-shirts, the wildcard card, notepaper and coffee cup.

Chan L.(2011),“Research studies of Jimmy Liao illustration artwork”, http://ir.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/retrieve/52436/metadata_02_01_s_05_0181.pdf

Liao J. (2009), " The Starry Starry Night", Locus publishing.