I first saw the walking eggs, then the flying books and the TV set with arms and legs. By the time anthropomorphized tableware, teeth playing musical instruments, and a bear vacuuming the moon appeared, I was hooked.

Initially, I didn’t realize these fanciful pictures were from children’s books. They certainly felt child-centric, but they also had an elegance and sophistication that belied classification. I loved the subtle watercolors, innovative composition, precise drawing and masterful rendering of details, all bathed in refreshing optimism and off-center humor.

Just who was this artist whose work was so unique, making it easily identifiable once you were aware of it? 

Kęstutis Kasparavičius (1954 – ) has published over 60 children’s books which have been translated into dozens of languages, including Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and Korean. Since he’s worked mainly with European publishers, I had not encountered any of his picture books before – including the handful he published in America (e.g., The Pied Piper of Peru by Ann Tompert).

Born in Aukstadvaris, Lithuania, Kęstutis studied choir conducting for ten years (beginning at age 8) at the National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Art. He then transitioned from music to visual arts, earning degrees in graphic design at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts. While working as a graphic designer for a publishing company, his talent for illustrating was noticed. His first children’s book, Crafty Art Lessons, was published in 1984. 

During this early formative period, he produced art for Lithuanian Fairy Tales (1989) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ( 1987). He was learning about art history and prototypes, and searching for his own style. His work was mostly monochrome with strong graphic lines and a small color range.

Collaborating with German publishers beginning in the early 90s was critical in his evolution, since he had to conform with their rules and strict illustration counts. There were important changes in his style: he abandoned graphic lines in favor of pencil and watercolor and added touches of surrealism. Over the next decade, he was able to perfect the aesthetics of nonsense and other unique aspects of his work, as he illustrated the stories of many contemporary Lithuanian and international writers. 

During this period he also illustrated several classic works to wide recognition: Pinocchio, Thumbelina, and The Nutracker, blending realism with fantasy. He also produced realistic illustrations for Dostoyevski’s An Honest Thief, and for several stories with American publishers (Boyds Mills Press, Abrams). He apparently found that experience unsatisfying.

That was my darkest period… I certainly didn’t want for work: I continued working with the German publisher and also received commissions from Taiwan. But I wanted to test myself in the English-speaking world. It turns out that was a mistake… It was uninteresting, boring, and there were no special editions or sales. I made a few books: “Saint Valentine,” “Saint Martin,” more saints’ biographies, and h. Ch. Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl.” However, I started writing after that!

~ Kęstutis Kasparavičius: The Conductor of the World’s Imagination (Lithuanian Culture Institute)

This prompted him to begin writing his own stories. His first self-illustrated book, Silly Stories, was published by Grimm Press in Taiwan. This led to more story collections as well as the opportunity to publish titles in Lithuanian with Nieko Rimto. This established his reputation as a teller of witty and humorous tales. 

I think that a good book for children must also be a good book for adults. I try to write so that one would want to read the same book over and over again. Books should be such that one wouldn’t want to throw them in the corner after opening the first page. Such that one could turn the pages for a long while, look at the drawings without reading the text, or, quite the opposite, read without paying attention to the illustrations. Such that one could start reading right from the middle or actually try reading from the end. Such that there would be points in them at which one wants to pause and think for a while and, certainly, not rush.

~ Profile (Lithuania in Bologna, 2011)

What is interesting about Kęstutis’s process is that he completes all the illustrations before writing any text. In fact, some of his stories have different texts written by different authors, proving that his art is rich with narrative, open to varied interpretations and cultural nuances. He’s the most famous author and illustrator of children’s books in Lithuania, and his work is known to readers in Europe, Asia, North and South America.

He excels in depicting comic animal characters (bears, pigs, rabbits, turtles) who find themselves in puzzling and provoking situations. Often drawing from life, he’s a stickler for accurate detail, researches extensively, and sometimes includes autobiographical details in his paintings. 

I was happy to learn he admires Beatrix Potter and admits to a certain British influence in his art, though he has never visited England. “My illustrations are dominated by the colours of an English town.” His favorite fairy tale is The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.

Kęstutis has participated in many solo and group exhibitions all over the world, and has been recognized with many awards during the span of his career. He’s been nominated three times for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2008, 2010, 2022), and twice for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2005, 2006). Other honors include two IBBY awards for Best Book of the Year, Lithuania (2005, 2007), and at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, he was awarded the UNICEF Illustrator of the Year Award (1993) and an Award of Excellence (2003).

Enjoy this short video. Although I can’t understand a single word he’s saying, it’s nice to see him in his studio space. He’s discussing The White Elephant.

For more, visit Kęstutis Kasparavičius’s Instagram. You can purchase framed prints, greeting cards, and other merchandise (apparel, mugs, pillows, etc.) here.

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*Copyright © 2023 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.