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| Jan Greenberg |
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan are the authors of the children's picture book Two Brothers, Four Hands, which focuses on artists Alberto and Diego Giacometti. Their many other books include Meet Cindy Sherman and The Mad Potter.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Two Brothers, Four
Hands?
A: Two Brothers, Four Hands came about when we were visiting
the National Gallery in D.C. to look at Lavender Mist by Jackson Pollock for
our book Action Jackson.
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| Sandra Jordan |
The gallery with sculpture by Alberto Giacometti was
astounding and we almost forgot our train was leaving sooner than later. It
inspired us to write a book about Alberto and his brother Diego, who helped him
with every sculpture he ever made.
Diego Giacometti was talented, as well,, creating “furniture
so magical that one sees sculpture and forgets its function.” He always said, “Alberto
is the artist. I am merely a craftsman.”
This feeling that he needed to help his brother, considered
the genius in the family from boyhood, kept Diego busy until Alberto died.
After that he began in earnest to work on his own art, handcrafted
lamps, tables, and chairs adorned with charming little animals: birds,
foxes, deer, cats and more.
Q: What kind of research did you need to do on the
Giacometti brothers, and did you learn anything especially surprising?
A: Along with visiting museums that exhibited Alberto's
artwork, reading books about his work, as well as watching two wonderful
videos, we also studied Diego's furniture, reading every source we could
find and searching out the real thing in private collections and art galleries.
Many books were out of print but we tracked them down. James
Lord's biography of Alberto Giacometti gave us a sense of the story in
wonderful detail, especially the relationship between the brothers, each one
very different in personality than the other.
We love the writing process, the collaboration, but each of
us also loves research.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?
A: We thought young readers, many of whom have
siblings, would relate to the bond between the brothers, even
the times when they disagreed.
Q: How would you describe the relationship between the
brothers, and what would you say is their legacy today?
A: Alberto struggled for years trying to find the right
direction for his work. Again and again he would whittle the plaster figures
he created down to nothing.
He struggled with failure again and again but [persisted
with] his passion for making art and his conviction to make it right, to make
it the way he felt in his heart, despite rejection, the exasperation
of those close to him, and years of living with very little money. “Try
again. Fail again. Fail better,” said his friend, the playwright Samuel
Beckett.
The subject of “failure” just might resonate with our readers.
It certainly did with us. After years working in his studio day and
night, Alberto finally was willing to exhibit his paintings and sculpture.
Alberto Giacometti became one of the most important and revered artists of his
generation.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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