Ron Schick

This is a treasure of a book. Splendidly and sumptuously designed, it showcases both the perspicacity, the art and the process of Norman Rockwell who captured social life in mid-20th century America like no other. Every painting tells a story, whose details were captured and arranged on camera beforehand. The photos and the paintings show how the game of production and reproduction added, removed or changed some of those details. Most of the times, Rockwell condensed different elements into show more a single frame. This dense layering provides the rich texture that makes a picture a true Rockwell.

The book also offers a nostalgic glimpse of another era: The depression, World War II and post-War America, a country of industry and agriculture, of community and public places, of time slow as molasses. A time of progress and wonder, but also a time of deep inequality and racial tensions.

Norman Rockwell also marks the end of an era. The displacement of painting by cheaper, faster and more life-like photography. The technique of photography, that helped Rockwell create his little worlds, ultimately destroyed its commercial application. This book preserves the vestiges of a dying art. show less

Excellent book explaining Rockwell's process of taking photographs to use as models for his illustrations. Connects his three main periods between Americana (pre 1940), WWII, Commercial ads, and Civil Rights era work (after 1950s).

I've always been a Norman Rockwell fan, I think it runs in my family on my mom's side! I remember back in high school going to an exhibit of nearly all of Rockwell's the Saturday Evening Post covers and just seeing the vast amount of work he's done and not being able to pick a favorite. Some artists create in such a way that is isolates the everyman from their work but Rockwell's work was very open to all. It touched on the high and low points of society at the time and it just makes you show more smile.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was like a reintroduction to his work, seeing the photography that was used to create his paintings helps you see and appreciate it in a whole new light. I love the way the book is set up. The work is shown in chronological order showing the final painting along with up to several of the original photos and some information and quotes about the piece. More than I would have liked (especially in the Advertisements and Commercial Commissions section) only the photo is published and I would have liked the painting to be there as well, not sure why there was that change in format. It's easy to page through or read from cover to cover. The size of book (about 11.5 x 9.5 inches) allows some of the photography and paintings to be blown up quite large which is a must. One of my favorite spreads is for The Gossips which shows a chain of communication/gossip and on the second page all 30 photos are set up side by side as they are in the final painting.

While Rockwell was very hands out in setting up the photo shoots, he had photographers take the picture for him and never looked through the lens himself. He actually was a model for some of the photography along with people he hired or people he just knew. It's interesting to compare the photograph with the final painting side by side. To see what elements have been changed and what was painting exactly like pictured.

Overall a great book for any Norman Rockwell fan! show less

Seeing behind the curtain of an artist's work is very interesting. By showing photographs that artwork was based on gives a new and different appreciation for the planning that Norman Rockwell put into each painting. I especially appreciated the composite photos which combined to form a painting. Very enjoyable.