Recently I had a chance to visit the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to see the Norman Rockwell exhibition “Telling Stories, Works from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.” Over 50 works were on display from each decade of Rockwell's professional career and it was very kind of Lucas and Spielberg to let their collections travel.
The focus of the exhibit was how Rockwell told stories, specifically through the characters depicted in the paintings. Both Lucas and Spielberg acknowledge Rockwell’s gifts in this arena and as filmmakers he constantly inspires them. The curators let the work stand on its own and as a viewer I was invited to take a look and enjoy Rockwell’s stories. Here are some thoughts on what made Rockwell a successful storyteller.
1. Careful Planning: Rockwell was devoted to his craft and solved all the pictorial problems before making the painting. Many times he made fully developed charcoal drawings completed at actual size (approx. 40"x50”) for the Post cover paintings. Rockwell resolved all the drawing issues in the charcoal study.
2. Composition: He was great at composing pictures. There is always a center of interest and several ancillary areas that assist in developing the theme as well as lead the eye around the painting.
3. Character: What drove Rockwell was his desire to let the characters tell the story. Rockwell got out of the way and let the characters take over. Additionally, he imbued all the shapes and forms of his figures with personality. As a result, the people feel unique and lifelike.
4. Conditions: Rockwell was adept at selecting and depicting the needed objects, locale and circumstances (the proper conditions) to effectively tell the story. He was sensitive to the fact that the simple items and small experiences make up each day and then eventually, once strung together, make up a life.
5. Clarity: The people in his paintings always display clearly what is on their minds. Additionally, their clothing always registers the effects of the body’s action upon it.
Through Careful Planning, Composition, Character, Conditions and Clarity Rockwell painted people, places and things with purpose. It’s clear that he was telling a story in paint and he was a success at it.