Lights, Camera, Action: New Exhibition Presents Rare Look at Norman Rockwell's Movie Illustrations. Rockwell and the Movies to open July 3 at Norman Rockwell Museum.
Rockwell's studio is open May through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (not
wheelchair accessible). Museum admission is $15 for adults, $10 for
students, and $13.50 for seniors. Children and teens 18 and under are
admitted free year-round through Kids Free Every Day, a gift to families
from Country Curtains, Blantyre, and The Red Lion Inn. Visit the Museum
online at http://www.nrm.org.
Storytellers come in all stripes: some write
stories; some are tellers of tall tales; and others tell their stories
through pictures. Illustrator Norman Rockwell shared much in common with the
modern-day movie director; he created an initial concept, set the stage,
selected models to "perform" in scenes which were photographed by camera
assistants, and created lasting images which were enjoyed by a mass
audience. Rockwell became a celebrity as a result of his many beloved
illustrations, so it is not surprising that Hollywood, realizing his "star
power," called on him to create illustrations for several major motion
pictures during the course of his career. A new exhibition at Norman
Rockwell Museum takes a rare look at original artwork created by Norman
Rockwell for the film industry; "Rockwell and the Movies" is on view July 3
through October 31, 2010.
"Norman Rockwell had an unmatched skill as a visual storyteller," says
Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies Curator Joyce K. Schiller,
Ph.D., who curated the exhibition. "He was always partly focused on the
world of the imagination and partly on the visible world around him. What
better mix of these two foci than in images of and for the movies."
"Rockwell and the Movies" features original paintings created for such films
as "Stagecoach," "The Song of Bernadette," and "The Razor's Edge;" vintage
posters; lobby cards; and original portraits of such movie stars as Jack
Benny and Bob Hope; largely drawn from Norman Rockwell Museum's permanent
collection. The installation coincides with "Telling Stories," a major
exhibition running this summer at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in
Washington, D.C., which features original Norman Rockwell paintings from the
collections of movie directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. "Norman
Rockwell continues to inspire visual communicators, including the work of
these much beloved filmmakers," observes Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO
Laurie Norton Moffatt. "We have been honored to include Steven Spielberg on
the Museum's Board of Trustees for many years. Steven is one of the top
private collectors of Norman Rockwell's work, and clearly derives deep
inspiration from the artist's storytelling pictures; 'Freedom From Fear,'
part of the Museum's permanent collection, even inspired a key scene in the
director's 1987 film 'Empire of the Sun.'"
Rockwell's own foray into the world of the movies was in 1930 when he was in
Los Angeles visiting his friend, the illustrator and cartoonist Clyde
Forsythe. With the help of the publicity director of Paramount Studios,
Rockwell painted Gary Cooper in the process of getting made up for "The
Texan." Later in 1937, when Cooper was producing the movie "Along Came
Jones," with himself as the lead character, Rockwell was called on to create
the full-length portrait which was used as the centerpiece of the movie's
poster.
Between 1937 and 1966, Rockwell created paintings which were used as
promotional material and movie posters for such films as "The Magnificent
Ambersons" (1941), "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "Along Came Jones"
(1945), "The Razor's Edge" (1946), "Cinderfella" (1960), and "Stagecoach"
(1966). When Rockwell wasn't painting movie promotional pieces, he sometimes
painted portraits of some of Hollywood's greatest actors; while the artist
was on location with the cast and crew painting the portraits for
"Stagecoach," the movie's producer gave him a bit part as a silent extra on
the set during the filming of a poker game. Rockwell's character was
described as a mangy old gambler and called "Busted Flush."
Rockwell's fondness for tinsel town even prompted him to pursue an idea for
a "Saturday Evening Post" cover, called "Who-Dun-It" (intended as a parody
of an English murder mystery). Again in Los Angeles, Rockwell enlisted the
aid of Twentieth Century-Fox to arrange for various movie stars to sit as
models for the picture. The cast for this fictitious scene were Ethel
Barrymore, Boris Karloff, Linda Darnell, Loretta Young, Richard Widmark,
Clifton Webb, Lassie, and even Van Johnson, whose feet represented the
murder victim. Despite the stellar cast, "The Post" declined the cover
proposal. According to Rockwell, they told him that the ". . . movie stars
kill it. The readers will be so busy recognizing the stars that they’ll miss
the whole point of the cover."
Related Programs
"To Rockwell, with Love: Fan Mail & 'The Saturday Evening Post'"
Sunday, July 11, 11 a.m.
Experience the outpouring of reader reaction to Norman Rockwell's art during
his 47 years with "The Saturday Evening Post." Jeffrey Borak, arts and
entertainment editor for "The Berkshire Eagle," and actress/designer Hope
Aaron will perform a dramatic reading of these heartfelt letters from around
the world. Norman Rockwell Museum archivist Jessika Drmacich will offer
cultural perspectives. Brunch is included! $20, $16 Museum members.
"Norman Rockwell's Art for the Movies:
An Evening with Curator Joyce K. Schiller"
Thursday, July 15, 5:30 p.m.
Step behind-the-scenes with Curator Joyce K. Schiller, Ph.D., for a look at
Norman Rockwell's many brushes with fame, which he encountered during the
creation of artworks for the motion picture industry. Dr. Schiller is the
curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum exhibition "Rockwell and the Movies,"
and The Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, America's first
research institute devoted to the field of American illustration art.
"Music and the Movies: An A Cappella Evening with Quintessential"
Thursday, July 22, 5:30 p.m.
Enjoy an evening of songs from the silver screen with Quintessential, a
Berkshire-based ensemble of a cappella singers which includes tenors Al
Thorp, Jay Wise, and Jim McMenamy, and bass/baritones John Miner and David
Anderegg, whose performances feature a blend of both wit and whimsy.
"Telling Stories: Rockwell Art from the Collections of Lucas and Spielberg"
Thursday, August 26 at 5:30 p.m.
Spend the evening with Smithsonian American Art Museum Senior Curator
Virginia Mecklenberg, who has organized the first major exhibition to
explore in-depth the connections between Norman Rockwell's iconic images of
American life and the movies. Two of America's best-known modern filmmakers-
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg- recognized a kindred spirit in Rockwell
and formed significant collections of his work. Rockwell's paintings and the
films of Lucas and Spielberg evoke similar sentiments: from national pride
to hometown pride, children growing up, unlikely heroes, and life's small
moments.
About Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum is the preeminent museum of American illustration
art. Dedicated to art education and art appreciation inspired by the
enduring legacy of Norman Rockwell, the Museum stewards the world's largest
and most significant collection of Rockwell art, and presents the works of
contemporary and past masters of illustration. The Museum's holdings include
Rockwell's last studio, moved from its original location to the Museum
grounds, and the Norman Rockwell Archives, a 200,000-object collection
undergoing digital preservation through ProjectNORMAN, "A Save America's
Treasures Project." The Museum is also home to the new Rockwell Center for
American Visual Studies, the nation's first research institute devoted to
the art of illustration. In 2008, Norman Rockwell Museum became the
first-ever museum recipient of the National Humanities Medal, America's
highest honor in the field.
Norman Rockwell Museum is located on 36 park-like acres in Stockbridge,
Massachusetts, Rockwell's hometown for the last 25 years of his life. The
Museum is open year-round. From May through October, hours are 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. daily; from November through April, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.