The Norman Rockwell treasury
(Book)

Includes index to illustrations.

The very best of America's favorite American artist - at an unbeatable price. Norman Rockwell's works have always enchanted America with their clear-eyed and humorous picture of life in the country's heartland: here are the very best of them, from the Saturday Evening Post covers to The Four Freedoms, a series of paintings done during World War II. Every image still exudes its fresh charm, unsullied by sentimentality: Santa, napping as the elves scurry about him and finish Christmas preparations; Grandma placing a large Thanksgiving turkey on the table, surrounded by her smiling family; a mother, stepping out of a slightly run-down apartment building with arms joyfully outstretched to greet her son, newly returned from the war. From the deeply personal to the political - a black child being led to school by US Marshals in the early days of integration - every piece retains its fascination. Thomas S. Buechner, a distinguished former director of the Brooklyn Museum, examines Rockwell's style, technique, and development, placing him in perspective as an important force in 20th-century art.