In Search of Norman Rockwell's America [Hardcover]

Kevin Rivoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2008

In this unprecedented collection, photojournalist Kevin Rivoli proves that the idealistic, all-American views found in Norman Rockwell's classic illustrations are, in fact, accurate and timeless portrayals of a nation that truly does exist.

Some critics argue that Norman Rockwell's images are overly sentimental, old-fashioned, and contrived. Yet it was always photojournalist Kevin Rivoli's belief that the themes that make Rockwell's illustrations so poignant -- patriotism, faith, family, and sports -- are also what make our country so great. Determined to dispel the critics' claims against Rockwell's prolific body of work, Rivoli set out with his camera to visit small towns and capture spontaneous Rockwell moments that celebrate the glory of ordinary, everyday life.

In Search of Norman Rockwell's America pairs Rivoli's photographs side by side with Norman Rockwell's iconic paintings, demonstrating how Rockwell's scenes were not just imagined on a canvas since they continue to sensitively reflect the American experience today. Each page of In Search of Norman Rockwell's America is filled with inspiring quotes and anecdotes from those who have been touched by Rockwell, including Arnold Palmer, Dick Clark, Beau Bridges, Dolly Parton, former president Jimmy Carter, and even the original subjects of Rockwell's artwork. A must-have for photographers, artists, Rockwell enthusiasts, and those desiring to slow down and focus on what's really important in life -- embracing those special Rockwell moments.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Commonplaces never become tiresome. It is we who become tired when we cease to be curious and appreciative...We find that it is not a new scene which is needed, but a new viewpoint." Norman Rockwell made that statement more than seventy years ago, but the point he made then is still relevant today -- maybe even more so.

One of the most important lessons I've learned from Rockwell and his work is that life isn't always about moving to new places to find new things. And it isn't about having the biggest and the best and the most. Life -- real life -- is about looking at, appreciating, and embracing the simple things that are right in front of us. Rockwell was a man who made it his mission to celebrate the ordinary. And although he was immensely popular among the American people, his work was often dismissed by critics who deemed his work old-fashioned and too idealistic, or sentimental and overly nostalgic. He was accused of creating moments that didn't exist or -- as one critic alleged -- of "creating an America that never was and never will be."

Text copyright © 2008 by Kevin Rivoli

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416595473
• ISBN-13: 978-1416595472
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 11.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Rivoli is a photojournalist whose work is published weekly in newspapers and magazines across the country.

After college graduation, Rivoli worked several jobs before deciding in 1987 to pursue photojournalism. He taught himself how to shoot using the Time LIFE books on photography. He landed his first full-time job in a small town in Upstate, New York.

In 1989 Rivoli was selected and attended the prestigious Eddie Adams II Workshop. That same year he was also was named National Press Photographers Association's Region 2 Photographer of the Year. Since then Rivoli has won more than four dozen state and national photo awards including Region II's POY again in 1991 and the New York State Associated Press Bruce Cromie Award in 1999.

After eight years in Auburn, Rivoli moved on to became an assistant photo editor in Rochester, N.Y. In 2000 he decided to return to shooting. Now a full-time freelancer, his client list includes the AP, the New York Times, and USA Today, among others.

While he loves photographing major sporting events and famous figures, one of his passions has always been photographing "Rockwell" moments - ordinary people doing ordinary things.

A devout Norman Rockwell fan, Rivoli has always felt connected to Rockwell's work and credits the American icon with inspiring his passion for celebrating the ordinary and embracing the simple, everyday moments in life that happen all around us.

It's that inspiration that lead to Rivoli's first book titled In Search of Norman Rockwell's America.

Unprecedented in concept, the book pairs Rivoli's spontaneous photographs side by side with Rockwell's iconic paintings, demonstrating that Rockwell's America did - and still does - exist.

The book has also inspired a traveling exhibit that features Rivoli's work alongside original Rockwell paintings. That show, which opened in June, 2009, is slated to tour the US for two years as well as make a three-venue stop in Japan. It opens in Tokyo in May, 2010 and returns to the US later this fall.

Rivoli has several other projects in the works, including his latest book, which is slated for release in late 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rockwell's America is Alive and Well!, December 8, 2008

By 

Eric K. Talerico "Greenmanwest" (Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Norman Rockwell's America (Hardcover)

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When I was in art school many moons ago, Norman Rockwell was uniformly reviled as a "mere illustrator" and an idealist. That never resonated with me, and I was delighted to see this wonderful book which celebrates Mr. Rockwell's work, and by juxtaposing modern photographs with similar subject matter, reinvigorates the paintings and underscores something that the snooty art school folks who taught me seemed to have missed: that Mr. Rockwell's idealism was actually a reflection of values and realities he saw in the world around him. I have on many occasions glimpsed the reality that Mr. Rockwell presented - largely because he taught me through his paintings to look for it. But what really makes this book a winner is that the photographs included by Kevin Rivoli are sturdy and beautiful enough to stand on their own. Mr. Rivoli might have set out to recreate Mr. Rockwell's images through photography - but instead chose to create photos which reflect a similar worldview to Mr. Rockwell's without becoming pedestrian copies. The brief editorial comments by Mr. Rockwell's family, friends, collectors, and models are often hilarious, sometimes poignant, always illuminating. Bravo to Howard Books for publishing this lovely book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The America we Long for..., December 18, 2008

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Ozark Trail Outrider (Jenks, OK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Norman Rockwell's America (Hardcover)

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Norman Rockwell's images of American life have resonated with us for generations now. Nearly all of us have seen these iconic portraits of an American life that we universally want to embrace as our own experience.

How many of us have searched for an experience of life in America reflected in Rockwell's captured moments of American normalcy? Even I have gazed at this paintings and imagined the joy of living in these moments.

Kevin Rvioli has done just that. With his own eye and camera, he has photographed this very real version of Rockwell's America. He has successfully captured the spirit of Rockwell's America and what a surprise! Rockwell's America is our America.

Rivoli's skill at matching his captures with Rockwell's paintings is outstanding. Page after page exhibits just how much of Rockwell's world is part of our own.

And perhaps Rivoli has unlocked the secret of Rockwell himself. In place of a camera, Rockwell may well have captured actual moments with his paintings and not an idealized version of America, but in fact a flesh and blood reality that Rivoli shows is alive and well in America.

So take the journey back to Rockwell's America and discover how close it really is.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book!, November 25, 2008

By 

Michael Kear (Enid, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Norman Rockwell's America (Hardcover)

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In Search of Norman Rockwell's America arrived today and I haven't been able to put it down! The photography of Kevin Rivoli side by side with the paintings of Norman Rockwell show us that the America which Rockwell saw and portrayed for us is still out there. This is the perfect book for the times we are in right now. It helps us to understand that even though we've been through bad times before, there is a spark and an internal strength in our country that cannot be crushed.

Rivoli's photography is simply amazing. It captures the same pathos and displays the same emotion as Rockwell's paintings. The accompanying words by both Rockwell and many current (and famous) Americans add to both the feeling of nostagia and the promise of hope. If you have only one coffee table book, make sure it is this one! Highly recommended!