Customer Reviews

My Adventures as an Illustrator: Norman Rockwell

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Often we are discouraged from finding out too much about our heroes and icons, lest we be disappointed with what we find. Rockwell, however, shines as one who is thoroughly interesting, although different from what one might imagine in his memoir/autobiography.

I suppose one might expect the celebrated illustrator (he was careful to always distinguish himself as an illustrator and not an artist) to something above the fray, laughing at the foibles of the human condition. Here we find that Rockwell was just as neurotic, and full of fancy as any of his subjects. His life, however, wasn't always a Rockwell painting. After a very unsuccessful first marriage, Rockwell found love in the arms of his second wife.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is when Rockwell takes us through a Saturday Evening Post cover from concept to painting. You couldn't imagine all the second guessing Rockwell did, even after the painting was done.

If you're more than just a casual Rockwell fan, you must read this. You may be stripped of a few illusions, but you will definitely appreciate the personality behind the brush.

This is a wonderful book about the life of Norman Rockwell as only he could have written. I enjoyed the book from start to finish and I have recommended it to all my friends. It gives you an understanding of his life and his discriptions of all the characters in his life are really fun. I have never read a book with such fun descriptions. He went through a lot of phases in his life and moved whenever he found he was lacking of ideas. If you like Norman Rockwell paintings, this book will help you enjoy the painting even more. What can I say - This book is really fun!!

Following that somewhat irreverent title, I want to say I have nothing but respect for this man. He is truly an American icon. I had a paperback version of his life way back in the '70s and found it delightful (as the man, himself, must have been). Fast forward to 2009 and a trip to the Detroit Institute of Art where a huge body of his work was on display for several months. As I toured the exhibit, I recalled the honest and endearing words from that long ago paperback and realized that I wanted to read them again. "Adventures of a Illustrator" arrived and I was amazed. I now have a beautiful book on my coffee table that is filled, not only with his life story, told with humor and humility, but a generous number of illustrations; early and late, color and black and white. including all of his POST covers. Anyone who has admired this man's work over the years, from his story-filled Saturday Evening Post covers to his sensitive Freedom posters and presidential portraits, will enjoy learning the life story behind this gentle man's work.

I bought this book some years ago. It was a really old used copy. It's pages had turn yellow.That's usually unpleasant when you want to read a book. It seems as if it always should be new white pages staring at you.In this case it did not matter.
I have always loved reading interviews or biographies about my favorite artists, so having the complete life of Norman Rockwell being told by himself was such a pleasure to read. I followed all his steps in life with great attention. From his childhood and his first steps in the profession to success and decline. In the book he's not good to himself many times. He shows himself as a man who has commited mistakes in his life as well as he has had triumphs. This makes more valuable the reading.Could a man who always do good ever exist ?

I just hope it could be easier to get this book. I know there's a reprint done by the Norman Rockwell Museum, it just would be nice to have it sold by Amazon...
I highly recommend this book to every illustration lover.

Rockwell's a fine writer and his is an accessible style. His career took him many different places in the mid-20th century, so you'll be surprised at the places he ends up and the people he meets. The clear message is that he worked hard, very hard, to sustain his career. The second message is that he held a skeptical view of the notion of art as an end in itself, and relished contact with his public. The book really is about his professional career. He tucks away his private life, and perhaps this really is as it should be.
This is the kind of book that makes a good gift: everyone knows Rockwell's art, everyone has his own favorite(s), but no one knows the man behind the picture!
As noted above, the ending of the book, journaling the creation of the "family tree" painting, is a good look inside his creative process.

I would like to review this book but the problem is although I ordered it in Oct. of last year when you said it was in stock and would ship in a few days, I still have not received it. You also have it listed as available with several of your suppliers. So the low rating is for poor service.