The Artist and the Architect

by Demi

In ancient China a jealous artist plots to eliminate the favorite architect of the emperor.

Genres: Picture Books, China, Architecture, Asia, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Demi (September 2, 1942) born Charlotte Dumaresq Hunt, is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. During her career she has published over 300 titles.

Demi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the great-grand daughter of the American painter William Morris Hunt, and the great-grand niece of architect Richard Morris Hunt. Demi earned her nickname as a young child when her father started calling her demi because she was half the size of her sister.

She studied art at Instituto Allende, Mexico, and with Sister Corita at the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She was a Fulbright scholar at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India where she received her Master’s degree.

Demi is known for her biographies for spiritual figures including Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mary (mother of Jesus), Muhammad, Rumi, Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama.

In 1990, Demi and her husband Tze-si “Jesse” Huang represented the United States at the First Children’s International Book Conference in Beijing.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books by Demi and I always loved the fact that Demi is always exploring different cultures with her works. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled upon another one of Demi’s works called “The Artist and the Architect,” which is a tale that takes place in China. Man, did I end up enjoying this mesmerizing tale of deceit and cunning!

In Ancient China, there lived a wise and fair Emperor who had two experienced men, an architect and an artist who would create various buildings and artwork for the Emperor. Unfortunately, the artist was always jealous of the architect and he decided to plot the demise of the architect. The artist then tells the Emperor about how the Emperor’s deceased father wanted an architect to build him a palace in Heaven and in order to do that, they must gather a large pile of wood and set it on fire with the architect standing in the middle of the fire until he rises up to Heaven.

I have always loved reading folktales from different countries, especially China and I was so delighted in finding another folktale from China retold by none other than Demi! I loved the way that Demi retold this tale as it was full of drama and magical elements at the same time! I was amazed at the fact that this is a tale about the artist deceiving the Emperor in order to get rid of the architect, which is a subject that I find so common in many folktales where the main antagonist wishes to get rid of the protagonist through any means possible and that is what made this story so interesting to read! I also loved the Chinese influence of this tale as it made this story even more exotic in tone and I have always enjoyed checking out folktales from different countries! But, probably the best part of this entire book was Demi’s illustrations as they were truly beautiful and creative to look at! I loved the way that Demi drew the palaces in China as they look so beautiful and I also loved the clothing worn by the Emperor and his subjects as they truly look so distinguished!

The only problem I had with this book was that the ending seemed a bit too ambiguous, since I was not able to figure out what became of the artist at the end of the book.

The only thing I gathered from the ending of the book was this little proverb that was mentioned:

“The small man harbors an envious spirit; the great man rejoices in the talents of others.”

It is sort of unknown if the architect forgave the artist for his deceit or not, although it looked like they were making up at the end, judging by the image of them shaking hands.

Overall, “The Artist and the Architect” is a fantastic folktale from China that fans of Chinese folklore would enjoy immensely! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the book might be too complex for some smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, this tale deals with jealousy. A nice, quick read that would be a good classroom activity for students of any age.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about deceit, jealousy, and a battle of wits. The story involves a brutal trick that could possibly lead to death by immolation, but happily, the characters are spared - one by his own wits, the other by merciful forgiveness. As always, we loved the detailed illustrations by Demi and we enjoyed the story. We've read many of her stories and are always on the lookout for more at our local library.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time in China, an artist and an architect both worked for the Emperor. They created marvelous buildings, and beautiful art work to adorn them. After a while, the artist became jealous of the architect, and searched for a way to get rid of him for good. His wickedly creative way of eliminating the architect, and the architect's clever way of avoiding destruction make for an entertaining tale of jealousy, vengeance, and retribution. Good for lots of philosophical discussions!

As always, Demi's lovely, detailed illustrations bring ancient China to life. Although presented in the form of a picture book, this tale is not compatible with preschoolers' interests. It works better for ages 6-10.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chinese fable about an artist and an architect who worked for the emperor. The artist soon became jealous of the architect and devised a way to get rid of him. His plot seemed to work well, but the architect always is just a step ahead. In the end, it was the architect you had the artist at his mercy. Does he forgive his treachery?...

Fun illustrations.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever folk story with wonderful illustrations. I loved the open ending and moral ambiguity!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre - nothing special in either the art or the story.