The Essential Norman Rockwell

120 Pages·1999·14.989 MB·English

by  Collier Schorr

BY COLLIER SCHORR
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THEESSENTIAL
NORMANROCKWELL
byCollierSchorr
EveryoneknowsNorman Rockwell.
Buthowmanyrememberthatthis artist
ofhome-and-hearthAmericanawasone
ofthefirstartiststochampioncivilrights?
Fromthemanwhobroughtuscanvases of
exuberance andjoy,we areamazedatwhat
awaitsusbeneaththerosysurface.
Meettheextraordinarycreatorof:
—
Scenesfromoureverydaylives the
firstdentistvisit,theThanksgiving
dinner,thebattlefieldsofwar,the
worriesofthe elderly
UnforgettablecoversofTheSaturday
EveningPost
i Comfortingimagesthataren'tas simple
asthevlook
andComing(d
eningPost,Aug

ifcSSEW
Norman
Rockwell
BY COLLIER SCHORR
the Wonderland
HarryN.Abrams,Inc.,Publishers
the Wonderland
PRESS
TheEssential™isatrademark
ofTheWonderlandPress,NewYork
TheEssential'"serieshasbeencreatedbyTheWonderlandPress
SeriesProducer:JohnCampbell
SeriesEditor:JuliaMoore
ProjectManager:AdrienneMoucheraud
SeriesDesign:TheWonderlandPress
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:98-074608
ISBN0-8362-1932-5(AndrewsMcMeel)
ISBN0-8109-5824-4(HarryN.Abrams,Inc.)
Copyright©1999TheWonderlandPress
IllustrationsandothermaterialbyNormanRockwell©1999NormanRockwellFamilyTrust
IllustrationsfromTheSaturdayEveningPost©TheCurtisPublishingCompany
Photosonpages22,40,52,69,81(FreedomofWorship),and94(TheConnoisseur)
courtesyofTheNormanRockwellMuseumatStockbridge
Publishedin1999byHarryN.Abrams,Incorporated,NewYork
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthecontentsofthisbookmay
bereproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher
DistributedbyAndrewsMcMeelPublishing
KansasCity,Missouri64111-7701
Unlesscaptionnotesotherwise,worksareoiloncanvas
PrintedinHongKong
HarryN.Abrams,Inc.
100FifthAvenue
NewYork,NY10011
www.abramsbooks.com
Contents
He'severywhere! 5
Americaintransition 8
Trueorfalse? 11
Artsmarts 14
Astarisborn 19
Churchanyone? 20
Countrycomforts 24
Thelovablenerd 27
Thebigillustrators 29
Moreplease,Sir 37
HitchedtothePost 41
Atimeofwar 42
Saycheese! 51
Thedivorcewanders 59
Timesa-changin 68
ScoringwithWillieGillis 73
FourFreedomshitthetop 78
Stockbridgesalvation 90
Facingoffwithracism 97
Agreatartistforthepeople 107

—
It's Norman Rockwell!
He'severywhere. Walkintoalmostanystore,withtheexception,say, opposite
ofavideo rental shop oryour corner deli, andyou'll find a Norman TheDiscovery
Rockwellreproductionthatcoincideswiththatparticularenterprise
platesandposters,t-shirtsandcoffeemugs,totebagsandcoffee-table
books. Ifyou'relucky,youmayevenfindanoldissueofTheSaturday
EveningPost, whose covers Rockwell illustrated for more than four
decades. In fact, used book and magazine dealers will be happy
to relieve you of these issues. On a typical day, try purchasing a
Rockwell-illustratedcopyofthePostfromasecond-hand'zinedealer
inNewYorkCityandyou'llhear, "Sorry,don'thaveany.Wishwedid."
A Rockwell ad done for Massachusetts Mutual Insurance (Facts of
Life) was borrowed by an AIDS activistgroup in 1987 to promote
safe-sexawareness. WouldRockwellapprove? Hisson,TomRockwell,
says,"Oneofthethings myfatherwas associatedwithwastolerance.
SoI thinkit's fairlyeasytoknowwhathewould have said." Bingo!
Rockwell, the equal-rights advocate. Rockwell, the man-of-all-
seasons illustrator. Rockwell, the great American success story, a
self-madeindividualsharinghisvisionofAmericawiththeworldand
withgenerationstocome.