Norman Rockwell - Behind The Camera - Beau Livre

The young couple on prom night, the girt at the mirror, the returning war hero—these iconic Norman Rockwell paintings have become part of the fabric of American popular culture. What most people do not realize, however, is that virtually everything and everyone that Rockwell painted from the 1930s onward was first elaborately staged for the camera. Norman Rockwell : Behind the Camera is the first book to explore, in depth, the archive of more than 18,000 black-and-white photographs housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Rarely seen in public, these images provide remarkable insight into the imagination and working process of one of the twentieth century's most renowned artists. Rockwell's mast famous works, as well as many important lesser-known paintings, are presented here alongside the startlingly well realized study photographs from which he painted. The juxtaposition reveals an eye for composition and detail that was equally at home in two mediums.
A natural storyteller, Rockwell envisioned his narrative scenarios down to the smallest detail. He carefully orchestrated each element of his design for the camera—selecting props and locations and choosing and directing his models—before beginning to paint. Meticulously composed and richly detailed, Rockwell's study photographs mirror his masterworks in a tangible parallel universe. Painting from photographs allowed Rockwell to bring friends and neighbors into the creative process as models.
Many of his most memorable characters—the girl with the black eye, the young runaway with the policeman at the lunch counter, the hapless piombers—were, in fact, real people, their poses and expressions more spontaneous than any professional model could deliver. Never above getting into the act, the artist himself often shows up in the photographs, exuberantly performing alongside his amateur models.
This groundbreaking book is the result of original research by author and historian Ron Schick, whose insightful narrative is enriched with comments from surviving Rockwell models, associates, and family members. Norman Rockwell : Behind the Camera forever alters our understanding of the working methods of America's best-known illustrator, while also unveiling a newfound treasure of Norman Rockwell images in an unexpected form.