Although inspired by a number of artists, the artwork of Maurice Sendak has drawn from a variety of inspirations within his life as well. The images can be clicked on for more examples.

 

 

 

As a frail young boy, Sendak spent much of his time indoors sketching his environment, most importantly, the neighborhood surrounding his Brooklyn home. New York City was where Sendak was born and raised, and this became infused in his work.

 



In the early 1970s, Sendak moved from New York City to rural Connecticut. From this home, his interests diverged and gave birth to a series of illustrations that swung from all ends of the emotional spectrum.

 

 

 

 

Sendak was born to Eastern European immigrants who came to America just before World War I. His parents had strong ties to the old Jewish country and had suffered a loss of family to the Holocaust. Sendak knew that his work must “retrieve all those lost Jewish souls and return them to the living.”