Norman Rockwell: 332 Magazine Covers

by Christopher Finch

Book Overview

It seems familiar because it was everyone's dream of America; and it was unique because only Rockwell managed to bring it to life with such authority. This was, perhaps, an America that never existed, but it was an America the public wanted to exist. And Rockwell put it together from elements that were there for everyone to see.

Rockwell helped preserve American myths, but, more than that, he recreated them and made them palatable for...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789204096
• ISBN13: 9780789204097
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.3" x 4.6"

Customer Reviews

This seller said it was really good yet the spine is broken!

Broken spine

Unapologetically heart warming

Although some reviewers have criticized the quality of this book's reproductions,I found them to be excellent over all. They are after all magazine covers. This book is a excellent example of Rockwell's art which I find superior to most if not all modern artists. I know his work is not highly rated by those the art world who would consider it too accessible (art industry babble for "It tells a story that most everyone can understand and does not require a wordy "interpretation" by me as to why it's not meaningless trash.) Its timeless portrayal of sometimes over-idealized everyday life of American working people is timeless. Yes. I'm old enough to see myself, my parents, my doctor, my neighbors, and my friends in most every picture. The years may have given these memories a warmer glow than they deserve, but this does not distract from their overall truth.

Amazing

To say that you can spend hours browsing through this wonderful collection is an understatement. This is a book that can be savored over a lifetime.It shows the progression of Rockwell's art from his early, almost Victorian style covers, to his most famous illustrations, to his political portraits. It always annoys me that people claim he is an illustrator, not an artist. Simply because these pictures tell a story should not detract from their artistic merit.This volume has them all. From the beautiful, awkward, girl at the Mirror, Doctor's appointment and countless others that are not as well known, but still great! So many of these paintings allow us to learn more about America (Can you get much more American than Norman Rockwell?). His GI- Willie Gillis is truly everyman during WWII. We seem enjoying a hometown newspaper, on leave, with his comrades, and finally as a student on the GI Bill. So many ideas are timeless. The chronicle of a day in the life of a boy or girl seem to embody childhood. Commuters on a platform captures the rise of suburbia. THe one of a son sitting with his father and dog about to leave for college captures that bittersweet moment on the cusp of adolescence.The sunlit, yet dusty, Marriage Liscense is generally recognized as art, but others should be too. I hope that with the recent Rockwell exhibets a new generation of Americans will appreciate this wodnerful artist who captured so much of our lives!This is a great addition to any collection- you will never tire of looking through it!

Intersting, fascinating and joyful.

I thought this book of Norman Rockwell's work was a fascinatining look into the typical/almost idealistic life of everyday embarrassing/comical/poignant situations which do commonly occur. The picture I enjoyed the most was "The Gossips" where upon I could imagine the tale behind the laughter and enjoy looking at the different facial expressions and that there was such a great twist to the tale. Thank you for such a great book!.

A Collector's Item

If you can only have one Norman Rockwell book, look no further. This is the quintessential Norman Rockwell. You can spend hours and hours looking at the illustrations and still not fully grasp all the subtle nuances - like the cameo paintings within the painting; the relections in the mirror; the advertisements in the folded newspapers; and so on. I have only found one inconsistency. In "The Clock Mender" some areas in the painting make an abrupt departure from his trademark quasi-realistic style. It reminds me of Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon". Was Rockwell cleverly introducing "Surrealism" into this particular painting, in an inverted Salvador Dali sort of way? Or was the original painting simply damaged and then retouched by someone else? It would make delightful reading if Mr Finch, or anyone else, could offer an explanation.From Kelvin

Small, but packed, well written. Defines and defends.

The book is small, but the illustrations still are reproduced extremely well. The essay alone is worth every penny. If you feel uneasy about your love for the work of Norman Rockwell, this book will give you the courage to like what you really like, without any more appologies. Buy it, read it, enjoy. You will, I guarantee.