Ludwig Bemelmans: The Illustrators

　　路德威‧白蒙(Ludwig Bemelmans)，奧地利裔的美國作家與插畫家。年輕時移居美國，開始一連串創作。其中《瑪德琳》(Madeline)系列故事，被公認為童書界的經典。寫過無數童書，小說與短篇故事集，甚至連旅遊書都有涉略。在1940到1950年代，他的作品經常性發表在《紐約客》雜誌，深受廣大讀者喜愛。

　　作為一位藝術家，白蒙的創作廣泛取材自日常生活，發展他的故事劇情與人物性格，透過豐富的想像力與個人情感。筆下的瑪德琳，總讓人想起亨利馬諦斯、畢卡索與法國插畫大師勞爾杜飛（Raoul Dufy）的影子。他的第一本插畫書在1939年發行，隨即廣受好評，風靡全球。

　　為了慶祝插畫作為一種獨立的藝術形式，英國著名藝術出版社Thames&Hudson集結歷史上最傑出的插畫家，出版《The Illustrators插畫者》系列，其中一本即為《Ludwig Bemelmans》:完整呈現白蒙的創作歷程與生活多種面貌。獨家曝光這位深受愛戴的作家與藝術家，包含先前未曾曝光的手稿與照片。

　　作者布雷克(Quentin Saxby Blake)，是位卡通動畫師與童書作家，用專業的眼光，為讀者介紹童書界一代大師。

Recognized most widely as the creator and illustrator of the beloved children''s classic Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) also wrote and illustrated a number of other children''s books, novels, short stories, and travel books. His illustrations were frequently featured on the cover of the New Yorker throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

As an artist, Bemelmans documented life as it went on around him, all the while inventing stories and characters from his vivid imagination and lively personality. His illustrations for the Madeline series are reminiscent of the work of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Raoul Dufy, but possess a unique style that has resonated with readers around the world since the first book was published in 1939.

A title in the new series, The Illustrators, which celebrates illustration as an art form, Ludwig Bemelmans offers a visually rich view into the life and work of this much-loved artist and writer, and includes exclusive sketches and photographs from the Bemelmans archive that have never been previously published.