I spent a long time Monday night staring at these two pictures. The one on the left is by Alice-and-Martin-Provensen, in “The Voyage of the Ludgate Hill" by Nancy Willard.
On the right, my man Peter Plasencia in “Jules Vern: The Man Who Invented the Future" by Franz Born.
I’m actually more drawn to the one on the right, as I like the pushing of perspective, the flattening. But of course the boat on the left feels a lot bigger, which is exactly what you feel when you stand next to a big ship like that on a pier.
I suppose both approaches serve the stories well. On the left, we have people about to embark on a journey, so the boat is a large unknown, a big imposing mystery. On the right, the boy is actually trying to run away on the boat (and father is coming to put a stop to it). The boat, the pier, and that whole world are well known, familiar, and therefore are presented for the viewer all at once.
I just find if fascinating. These two pictures.
