Illustration Analysis of Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.

2. Style & Media
Bemelmans illustrations are
mostly expressionism with
some naïve and naïve cartoon
art.
Expressionism: includes
bright colors and figures
that are disproportionate.
Here, Miss Clavel and and
the twelve girls look
disproportionate, yet
friendly. The yellow
background also feels bright
and cheery.

3. Style & Media Continued
Naïve style is also relevant
in the illustrations. Naïve
gives the appearance of
being childlike and
unsophisticated, yet
ingenious. The artwork
also has no straight
technique.

4. Style & Media Continued
 Naïve Cartoon Art is also
present in the pictures.
Here, the picture shows
childlike illustrations with
lacking proportions. The
style is naïve and playful,
which contributes to a
child like personality that
Bemelmans was trying to
pursue.

5. Line
Here, diagonal lines
represent movement. The
lines are reinforcing the girls
playing with the hospital
toys. With the balloon
floating straight up, it is as if
the playful scene was
captured on camera. The
lines around Madeline’s bed
also cause the eye to focus
on her while her friends are
playing.

6. Shape
 In this photo, the shape of the door
and carpet represent simple and
rigid shapes, which are man-made.
The complex and supple shapes are
the things that are natural, which are
the girls and Miss Clavel.
 This picture is also showing action,
since all of the girls have their hands
up in a wave, and they are also
drawn diagonally. The shapes
allowing the scene to be light and
cheery, which contribute to the
theme of the book. Also, with Miss
Clavel as the largest shape in the
illustration, it shows how important
she is in the stories.

7. Color
The hue of the illustrations
are mostly all yellow, which
means that the illustrations
are also monochromatic.
The hue yellow is also
categorized as a warm
color, which is bright and
fun and provides the
illustrations with a festive
atmosphere, just as the
saturation does.

8. Color Continued
Bemelmans
vibrant color
scheme allow
children to focus
on the characters
of the story.
Yellow
symbolizes
sunshine, joy,
happiness,
cheerfulness,
and energy.Energy
Cheerfulness

9. Color Continued
Bemelmans uses
dark colors also to
represent unhappy,
sad, and scared
situations; however,
in each illustration
there is still a little
bit of yellow to
represent that
“happiness can be
found even in the
darkest places.” –
Albus Dumbledore
Scared
Sad
Scared

10. Texture
Texture is created here by the
overlapping of colors and shapes.
The car lights and shadows from
the buildings create three
dimensional qualities in the
illustrations. Here, paint layers
and brush strokes are visible to
create almost an eerie night.
Here, the carpet has texture from
the shading and cross-hatching
in the illustrations. Also, the
chandelier gives the illustration
some depth since there are no
lines to represent the walls of the
room.

11. Composition In the illustrations,
most of the photos
are symmetrical
with the balance of
objects evenly.
Symmetrical
All of the illustrations in the
book contain a white border.

12. Composition Continued
Asymmetrically
Balanced
Almost every illustration has a
small white border, and a yellow
background. This is meant to
keep the reader engaged and
wanting to turn the page to learn
more.
Also, the yellow background allows
the reader to focus on the main
characters instead of the background,
which is important for beginner
readers.