Creator Record

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1 of 1977 Politi, Leo

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Metadata

Name (Artist/Photographer/Author)

Politi, Leo

Other names

Atiglio Leoni Politi

Role

Artist

Dates of birth and death

American, 1908-1996
Born in Fresno, California, to Italian parents on November 21, 1908. When Politi was seven years old, his family returned to his mother’s hometown of Broni, Pavia, located in Northern Italy. Politi always loved to draw and was constantly sketching on scraps of paper.

Atiglio Leoni Politi was born in 1908 in Fresno, California to immigrant Italian parents. His family returned to Italy when he was six years old, and he spent the next fifteen years in Europe. At age 21, Leo returned to his homeland of California, obligated to his desire to work independently as an artist. He found his muse in the small, charming neighborhood of Eylsian Heights in downtown Los Angeles, and settled there with his wife Helen. As a newcomer to the area, he often ventured out and about to take in the unfamiliar sights and sounds. One memorable day, he stumbled upon the Mexican town of Olvera Street and felt he was "in heaven."

Nationality

American

Places of residence

Politi returned to the United States in 1930 and married Helen Fontes in 1934, renting a home on Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles. In "Bunker Hill, Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days" (1964), Politi documented the rapidly vanishing Victorian homes of Downtown LA's upper-class neighborhood, capturing the unique personality of its residents. His illustrations were rich scenes of everyday life: passersby taking a stroll, neighbors gossiping on the porch, laundry hanging out to dry, children playing in the yard, dogs asleep, cats on the prowl, and even fireworks lighting the night sky on the Fourth of July.

Many years ago, an angel descended upon the sidewalks of the City of Angels to illustrate the lives of the people of downtown Los Angeles. Although he was influenced early in life by Van Gogh and Renoir and studied at the Royal Palace at Monza, Leo Politi found his true and lasting inspiration in the neighborhoods of Olvera Street, Chinatown, Bunker Hill, Echo Park and Little Tokyo.
As a storyteller, artist and children’s book author, Leo Politi was passionate and dedicated to preserving the culture and sharing the traditions of his adopted city, especially near his home of Bunker Hill. He was especially fond of the children of the area and often integrated their lives into his stories. He said in his acceptance speech for the Caldecott Medal, "In all my books I try to embody certain universal things- the warmth and happiness of family life; my love for people, animals, birds, and flowers… I feel that it is only through the respect and continuity of our heritage that we can build a foundation with strong roots for our future."

Occupation

Author, Illustrator

Education

In 1923, when Politi was fifteen years old, he won a scholarship to the National Art Institute at the Royal Palace of Monza, near Milan, where he lived and studied drawing, sculpture, architecture, and design over the next six years.

Titles & Honors

His mural depicting the "Blessing of the Animals" tradition on the entrance of the Biscailuz Building, painted in 1978, serves as a lasting reminder of his influence and can still be admired today. This artwork has become iconic to the plaza it adorns, so much so that Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared April 1984 to be "Leo Politi Appreciation Month," with an olive tree and plaque honoring Politi placed near the mural to mark the occasion. In addition to this, Politi has been honored with the naming of Leo Politi Elementary School, located in Koreatown, Leo Politi Square, an intersection in Echo Park, and Montecillo De Leo Politi Park, a recreational area just north of Dodger Stadium.

In 1991, Leo received the greatest gift of all. For his contribution to the spirit and children of Los Angeles, a new elementary school in the Pico-Union neighborhood was named for him. He was delighted to have this dream of his come true.
In 1950, he was recognized for his exceptional work with a Caldecott Medal.

Publications

Politi published over twenty children's books, including his most famous work, Song of the Swallows, winner of the 1950 Caldecott Medal for "most distinguished American picture book for children." His books are celebrated for their cultural diversity, historical depictions of Los Angeles, and Politi's unique ability to depict the playful curiosity of childhood.

Notes

LAPL Blog "Leo Politi, Fondly Remembered" Tina Princenthal, Senior Librarian, Children's Literature, Monday, November 13, 2023

Politi Bio by Rosa Mazon a staff member of the Studio and
at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. http://www.lahistoryarchive.org/resources/Love_Is_Living_Large/profiles.html

Relationships

During the 1930s, Olvera Street was not the tourist attraction it is today, but an intimate community and artists’ enclave. The discovery altered his course as an artist and changed his life. It was here, in the cafes of Olvera Street, that Leo became a sidewalk artist. The lively scenes he sketched soon evolved into books for children, launching a successful career spanning over sixty years. Leo reached significant acclaim with the publication of his second book, Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street, in 1943, a story about the Olvera Street festival Las Posadas, a Christmastime tradition of the re-enactment of the procession of Mary and Joseph. He dedicated this book to the children- "the angels"- of Olvera Street.

Leo continued his love affair for downtown Los Angeles with additional children’s books based on Chinatown, Little Tokyo and other Olvera Street traditions, such as the Blessing of the Animals. He continued to express an unconventional perception of Los Angeles, a city known for its urban progress and modernization, with a "small town" feeling, focusing on children, families and a close-knit community spirit. Most significantly, he broke children’s literature barriers by focusing on non-Anglo families and traditions and the considerable Mexican, Chinese and Japanese communities of the city. Over the years, he expanded his attention to other folklore and regions of California, including the return of the swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano and an Italian fishing community in Monterey. Leo Politi was not simply an observer but active in the community he illustrated in his books. He gave children drawing lessons at the Los Angeles Public Library every week and spoke at countless schools and other libraries.
Later in his life, Politi developed an interest in preserving the neighborhood he saw was slowly slipping away to urban development, especially in light of the demolition of the old Victorian homes of Bunker Hill, for "faceless modern skyscrapers." This awareness shifted his focus to an adult audience, and he published Bunker Hill, Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days in 1964. He continued to practice his mantra throughout the rest of his career: "we must keep our roots alive and functioning or we have nothing." He believed by denying this to ourselves, "we are denying our children the precious knowledge of the past which would greatly enrich their lives."