Norman Rockwell: A Life

This book totally opened my eyes to the fascinating world of illustration, let alone to Norman Rockwell himself. I am amazed that the author could include such learning and erudite information in such an engaging narrative format. I felt by the end of the book that I had personally known Rockwell. I am no novice to the art world, but this study left me far better informed than I was before I began it. Kudos to the author.

I enjoyed Laura Claridge's biography Norman Rockwell. It's a lengthy book, but it had my attention from the very first line because Claridge immediately delved into the personality of Rockwell and showed how his personal life influenced his art. The book also fully depicted Rockwell's family and how they impacted his work. Claridge writes intelligently, a bit dramatically, and always interestingly.

Rockwell's life and art were much more complicated than popular history would have you believe and this book really gets down to the nitty-gritty. I was particularly interested in reading about his early history and how different it was from the ideal Americana that people usually associate with him. Definitely an eye-opener and a great read!

A fantastic biography that rivets you with it's vision of the world of early 20th Century Illustration through WWII and Vietnam. To say that it fills in the gaps and shadows of NR's life is an understatement. Who knew that Rockwell was a high school dropout that married three times--all to school teachers! That his first marriage was "open." I, like probably many, thought NR was politically conservative. WRONG! It turned out, while he liked Ike, he also voted for the Socialist Party in elections--and had a file on him at the FBI! Very well written, aimed primarily at the artist's life, rather than his art (though that is also touched upon to a great extent) right up through his current "revival." Reads as well as a good novel.