While the artwork of A Great Gorilla by Vera Gereke was not my personal favorite, as it was a tad too abstract for me, there is an audience for it. I can see how these illustrations will be given awards, honors and people will be talking about them. (Or they will in mid-to-later March 2027 when the final product is available, unless you find an online reader copy like I did.)
The story is simple, there is a giant, empty cage in the zoo. In the woods, there is an enormous gorilla. One day the people of the zoo go to the forest and in Lilliputian style capture said gorilla and put them in the cage. Lots of people come, the zoo people are proud of their accomplisment. A child asks, “What can it do?” (if you look closely you’ll figure out which child will be saying this as they stand out in a sea of minimalist busy). The people think about it, and figure it can paint. The gorilla can, but only the bars of the cage onto the canvas before them. Then one day, the gorilla paints something that “isn’t art” (or is it?), and through that, finds a clever way of escaping.
The themes of art can take you away with its power and what one thinks is art is another person’s “it rhymes with a body function” is clear, but not loud. A miffed off gallery owner saying the non-bar image isn’t art, is obvious, but still themes are not “pushed in your face,” but are obviously there. The whole book is also art. The thing about art, at least to me, is that it is like books. There are billions of pieces of artwork out there, billions of books, and not every one will be liked by everyone. Which only means, there is something for everyone and everyone for something. And while I like this book, it isn’t completely for me. However, I will be looking into more books by the author as it intrigues me and the translator Alisha Niehaus Berger as well, as they had some interesting style choices.
