Illustrations in Children's Books (1970)

(on the chapter concerning styles of art in children's books, there are two references to Sasek)

Expressionism --

Sasek's stylized elongations, and the distortions of the human figure, buildings and animals lean toward the subjective and imaginative. The virile color pattern paintings and the almost bold simplification of his forms bring forth from his readers a strong, almost overwhelmingly forceful reaction to the "personality" of each city he describes in his series of guide books. The art in Sasek's book is evidence of his vitality and creative accomplishment. One quickly recognizes why this series for children delights even adults. (p. 38)

Pointillist Technique --

In pointillism, which is a form of neo-impressionism, the picture is constructed with a color technique consisting of roughly equated dots. The eye blends one color with the other, thus giving form to the subject. The pictures are thorough planned and carefully controlled....Miroslav Sasek uses the pointillist technique occasionally in his series of guidebooks for children. In double-page spreads, he applies this technique to present many of the familiar landmarks and monuments found in the busy cities of Paris and London. The books are entitled This Is Paris and This Is London, respectively. In This Is New York, he also uses pointillism in the pictures that portray the sun-seekers who swarm to the beach of Coney Island on a summer Sunday, and the thousands of baseball and football fans who crowd Yankee Stadium to watch their heroes. Sasek's use of pointillism is somewhat modernized, however. The dots in his paintings are wider and longer than those in the paintings done by the originators of the technique.

Text from Patricia J. Cianciolo, Illustrations in Children's Books.
Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, 1970