American Mirror

The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell

By: Deborah Solomon

Narrated by: Andrea Gallo

"Welcome to Rockwell Land," writes Deborah Solomon in the introduction to this spirited and authoritative biography of the painter who provided 20th-century America with a defining image of itself. As the star illustrator of The Saturday Evening Post for nearly half a century, Norman Rockwell mingled fact and fiction in paintings that reflected the we-the-people, communitarian ideals of American democracy. Freckled Boy Scouts and their mutts, sprightly grandmothers, a young man standing up to speak at a town hall meeting, a little black girl named Ruby Bridges walking into an all-white school - here was an America whose citizens seemed to believe in equality and gladness for all.

Who was this man who served as our unofficial "artist in chief" and bolstered our country's national identity? Behind the folksy, pipe-smoking facade lay a surprisingly complex figure - a lonely painter who suffered from depression and was consumed by a sense of inadequacy. He wound up in treatment with the celebrated psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. In fact, Rockwell moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, so that he and his wife could be near Austen Riggs, a leading psychiatric hospital.

"What's interesting is how Rockwell's personal desire for inclusion and normalcy spoke to the national desire for inclusion and normalcy," writes Solomon. "His work mirrors his own temperament - his sense of humor, his fear of depths - and struck Americans as a truer version of themselves than the sallow, solemn, hard-bitten Puritans they knew from 18th-century portraits."

©2013 Deborah Solomon (P)2013 Recorded Books

good, bad, and the questionable

I loved everything about this biography. I feel that it's fair, balanced, and well written. I felt invested in Mr. Rockwell and teared up at the end.

Good book but...

Though I did enjoy the book, I did feel that the author's narrative of Rockwell being a repressed homosexual was very heavy handed. At many points throughout the novel I felt the Deborah Solomon would lead us down a path of accusations but would always end with a form of "I'm not sayin', but I'm just sayin'...".

Take away that aspect of the book and I feel it was a solid read.

Artistic License Used to the Max

This book is well written and much is based on accurate history. My only problem is that the author made so man assumptions about Norman Rockwell. Whether it was reading into the backstory and theme of his paintings or how he felt toward male friends for me was over the top. There is absolutely no justification for many of these judgmental assumptions. I truly believe she aggressively set out to somehow demean and soil the memory of this great 20th century illustrator and artist. I can only imagine how Rockwell’s children and grandchildren felt about this scandalous writing. What I did enjoy was the in-depth research the author made in chronologically coving the life and progress Rockwell made throughout his career. I would still recommend reading this book because there is still much to gain from its contents.

Meh

I didn't like it. Feel like it overshadowed what could have been a much better story. might try amd read it again later to ensure I didn't miss anything.

Fresh art historical consideration of Rockwell’s art

Solomon’s background as an art writer makes her well suited to discuss Rockwell’s art legacy. With insightful and serious studies of his major works, her analysis of his work from a fine art perspective is a breath of fresh air compared to the snobbery and dismissiveness of his work in his lifetime and even today by the art world.