Product Description

Accompanying the first major traveling exhibition of works by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), this volume presents a complete reappraisal of one of America's most beloved artists. Contributors from a wide range of fields-including leading art historians, cultural critics, a renowned child psychiatrist, and a leading graphic designer-shed new light on the complexity of Rockwell's art and his place as a shaper of mass-media imagery. Stunning colorplates reproduce Rockwell's paintings in crisp detail, and the essays set them in fresh contexts, discussing such themes as Rockwell's urban scenes; the reaction by both black and white Southerners to Rockwell's historic civil rights painting The Problem We All Live With; and Rockwell's role in the development of American illustration. Above all, this important volume examines Norman Rockwell's critical place in 20th-century American culture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #228976 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 200 pages

Amazon.com Review
This richly illustrated book brings together 14 essays by such luminaries as former Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Hoving and art historian Robert Rosenblum, and finally and firmly anchors Rockwell's reputation in the art-historical world. The catalog of an exhibition at Atlanta's High Museum of Art, the book's 133 color reproductions are marvelously large, clear, and true in color and offer what is probably the best introduction to Rockwell for anyone who takes his illustration seriously--or anyone who doesn't, yet. Indispensable though it may be, however, Pictures for the American People may slightly irritate lifelong Rockwell fans, especially those who grew up with the Saturday Evening Post and fell for Rockwell at a time when his nonpareil illustrations were mocked by the moderns. And experienced Rockwell lovers probably have on their shelves the huge 1970 work by Thomas S. Buechner, then director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator, which was the first comprehensive look at this uniquely American master.

Ah, well. It's about time the art world came to its senses and began to appreciate the genius and the subtlety of a painter who looked to both Chardin and N.C. Wyeth as masters. Rockwell's great works are here: Rosie the Riveter, The Four Freedoms, After the Prom, Breaking Home Ties, The Gossips, and scores of others that celebrate (and poke the gentlest of fun at) small-town, family life. There were other illustrators of Rockwell's ilk during the '40s and '50s, his most popular decades, but as Steven Heller writes in "Rebelling Against Rockwell," "Rockwell ran one step ahead of cliché, while his acolytes lagged a mile behind." --Peggy Moorman

From School Library Journal
YA-This collection of essays forms the catalog of the exhibition of Rockwell's work traveling to seven U.S. cities. It explores the artist's goals, achievements, and legacy as well as his role and stature in American art. Some essays effuse praise, some give anecdotal yet enlightening information about Rockwell's subjects, and some offer in-depth, scholarly analyses of his works. Because the book presents writings by a variety of curators and critics, information is repeated and often opinions are flatly contradicted. The variety of interpretations of Rockwell's style and work shows a complexity in a collection often viewed as simple and sentimental. Even so, the book's true strength lies in the 133 full-color plates and illustrations that document Rockwell's progress as illustrator, painter, and storyteller. A delight for casual observers and students of art and art history.
Vivien Jewell, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Excellent writing is the hallmark of this catalog of an upcoming exhibit, traveling throughout the country for the next several years. Fourteen essays by art historians and academics address broad themes, specific issues (such as school desegregation), and the critical fortunes of Rockwell's work--without preconceptions or prejudgments. Like Rockwell's art itself, the catalog is clearly organized and accessible, and like his art, the essays are thoughtful and repay close reading. Although brief, these essays are also of uniformly high quality. Icon that he was, it is now possible to look at Rockwell's work in historical context; this book, edited by two museum curators, succeeds thoroughly in this regard. An outstanding companion to Norman Rockwell: 332 Magazine Covers, which reproduced all of his Saturday Evening Post covers, this is highly recommended for general and art historical collections.
-Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

"Rockwell" The Essence of Art!
I received Pictures for the American People as a Christmas gift and was delighted at the exquisite art as the pages unfolded. I collect all sorts of Rockwell works and this is truly the best I've seen. It explores not only the paintings, but what is behind them, the man himself. I felt as though I was being introduced to Mr. Rockwell through this masterpiece. It is a MUST BUY book! Even if you have never experienced one of his books or paintings, you will want to open this book again and again. The images are displayed in such detail and the stories behind them tell so much. You will be captured by the different aspects of art once you have seen what is inside. I will not spoil all this book has to offer, so if you haven't already purchased a copy, do so....or put it on your Wish List. You'll be happy that you did!

great book
In a world that is completely inundated with so many Norman Rockwell books, I thought that i would never buy another one. I'm an artist and fan of Rockwell's but quite frankly there are so many other great illustrators out there, at times i wish that fewer books were written about Rockwell and more attention was given to other less known American artists like James Montgomery Flagg, F.R. Gruger, J.C. Leyendecker, Howard Pyle and Harvey Dunn, among many others. Then this book came along. I told myself I didn't want to buy it, I already have four books on Rockwell, I certainly don't need another. Then I opened the book and saw that the quality of the prints in this book are outstanding (the best I've seen) and the text is really informative. Now I'm telling myself THIS will be the last book I buy on Rockwell. This book will give you a new appreciation for Rockwell's skill as a painter and a colorist. After seeing these painting in person for the show that this book was written for, I can say that this book does justice to Rockwell's amazing talent.

Is He a "Serious" Artist or "Just and Illustrator"?
Anyone who has wondered (even remotely) about Norman Rockwell's place in the World of Art will enjoy this book. In addition to 80 beautiful color reproductions of Rockwell's paintings, there are 14 essays about the artist and his work. The authors of these essays acknowledge that Rockwell was an anachronism and, to most people in the Art World, an object of derision. But each essay argues in favor of Rockwell's importance by focusing on one or more of his unique talents.

In "the Great Art Communicator", Thomas Hoving makes a very convincing case for Rockwell as an influential American artist. Rockwell's son Peter's essay entitled "Some Comments from the Boy in the Dining Car" (referring to the painting for which he was used as the model when he was a boy) offers invaluable insights into what the artist himself thought about his work. There is also an essay by Anne Knutson that tells the fascinating story of the Saturday Evening Post, its importance in the definition of "Americanism" and how Rockwell's relationship with the editor influenced his work.

The debate about Norman Rockwell's place in the history of art will undoubtedly continue. But as Laurie Norton Moffatt sums up in her essay "The People's Painter": "The personal transformation and communication that occurs when one looks at a work of art is the artist's defining moment. Rockwell was a master of delivering that moment to his public."