Celebrated Chinese American artist and painter Tyrus Wong is the visionary best known for his influential work on the 1942 Disney feature film Bambi. From humble beginnings, immigrating to the United States from China -- with the Exclusion Act in full effect -- at 9 years old as a "paper son," Wong found his calling as an artist whose work would inspire a generation of American animators.
A new picture-book biography Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist, written by Julie Leung and illustrated by Chris Sasaki, tells the story of Wong's journey, capturing the life and work of a painter who came to this country with dreams and talent -- and who changed the world of animation forever.
"Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled across a vast ocean from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. Not papers for drawing -- which he loved to do -- but immigration papers to start a new life. Once in America, Tyrus seized every opportunity to make art, eventually enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. Working as a janitor at night, his mop twirled like a paintbrush in his hands. Eventually, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime -- and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus created the iconic backgrounds of Bambi."
Paper Son hits shelves on September 24 from Random House. Here's the gorgeous cover by Chris Sasaki:
