Norman Rockwell's Faith of America | 9780896600669 | Illustrations by Norman Rockwell / Text by Fred Bauer

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Before the Date, Post cover, September 24, 1949.All of the illustrations in this section emphasize relationships between loved ones. They are hung on an imaginary string that takes us through lifes rites of passage. In these cartoon like panels, Rockwell gives us a keyhole peek into metamorphic adolescence, and it is the painter-storyteller at his best. Calling upon the women in his audience to remember the time when that first special boy came into their lives, Rockwell brings all those old memories back into focus. ”Though you told your girlfriends you couldnt stand him.” Rockwell seems to be saying, ”you were really flattered to think that someone of the opposite sex found you attractive, and the words you put in your diary had the unmistakable pedigree of puppy love.” The plot thickens in the double panel illustration Before the Date. the boy and girl are both older, but still on the same collision course.

Freedom from Want, 1943.But in a twinkling of an eye county fairs will be over, harvest time will come and Thanksgiving will be upon us, when we pause like the generations before us to give thanks for manifold blessings from our heavenly Father. Families will gather and celebrate, each according to their own traditions. Though Rockwell painted many paeans of thanksgiving, none is more often reproduced than Freedom from Want, an illustration that captures the flavor, strength, and love of the American family like few others. What is more traditional about our way of life than coming together at a familiar time, in a familiar place, to reminisce with parents and grandparents, kids, grandkids, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, the whole clan, in one happy cacophony of clattering dishes, unabashed laughter, and animated conversation that lasts long into the night.

The Winner, Post cover, May 23, 1953.In Rockwells world, we know that neighbors like Rosie the Riveter will take up the slack in the male-depleted work force and will help us win the War; that sandlot ballplayers about to be deposed by excavators will win a reprieve or work out a compromise; that although the postman may occasionally take too much interest in our correspondence, we will get our mail on time; and that even though strongly held opinions sometimes get us into hot water with our friends and neighbors, we in the end will be exonerated on the grounds that ”it is the principle of the thing.”

No Swimming, Post cover, June 4, 1921.The calendar proved to be Rockwells bet friend when ideas were scant, and he often resorted to seasonal settings for his carefree grandpas, freckle-faced boys, and spotted-mutt dogs. Such traditions as spring fishing, summer visits to the old swimming hole, fall leaf raking, and winter ice-skating proved apt subjects for the Saturday Evening Post. All that he needed to flesh out one of those old ”sugar sticks” was a fresh story line. Of course that is always the rub for creators--finding a new twist to an old theme. Still Rockwell produced more consistently than any other Post contributor, forever finding visual bon mots for his illustrations.

Girl in a Mirror, Post Cover, March 6, 1954.Sometimes Rockwells subjects are unsure of themselves, searching, reflective, as in Girl at the Mirror, the adolescent who seems to be asking whether or not she will ever be as beautiful as the movie star whose picture she holds in her lap. Though Rockwell seems to have more skill portraying young boys than girls, this effort (featuring a favorite Arlington model, Mary Whalen) is a winner on every count. The tossed-aside doll and the nearby comb, hairbrush, and cosmetics are the only props Rockwell needs to tell this slight but insightful story of growing up.

Norman Rockwell's Faith of America

Illustrations by Norman Rockwell / Text by Fred Bauer
Size: 8 1/2 x 11"
Cloth, 160 pages
113 illustrations, 109 in full color
Published 1996
ISBN: 978-0-89660-066-9
In Stock
Available
$19.95

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This heartfelt tribute to Americas best-known, best-loved illustrator, first published shortly after his death in 1978 is an inspiring examination of Norman Rockwells vision of America, one that is especially appreciated today.

Rockwells famous Saturday Evening Post covers, the four Freedoms he painted during the years of World War II, his depictions of American towns, families, and traditions are all represented in this enchanting volume. They offer a picture of America that we hold dear, representing a world of hope and humanity.

Fred Bauer writes about Rockwells message of optimism and the artists faith in America and its people in a forthright and sympathetic text complemented by numerous Rockwell favorites in all their warmth and color. Bauer visits Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and Arlington, Vermont, talking to the people who lived with Rockwell and posed for his anecdotal pictures, the people about whom the artist said, "If you are interested in the characters you draw and understand them and love them, why, the people who see your pictures are bound to feel the same way." This lovely book enables us to partake once again of that unique love and understanding that Norman Rockwell still communicates to America.

Fred Bauer has written more than a dozen books, including the How Many Hills to Hillsboro?, Everett Dirksen: The Man and His Words, and Then Sings My Soul (with George Beverly Shea). Born in Ohio, he has worked widely in communications and with radio, newspapers, and magazines.

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