Norman Rockwell: pictures for the American people

"From barefoot boys fleeing a forbidden swimming hole to astronauts triumphantly stepping onto the moon, Norman Rockwell's paintings provide enduring images of twentieth-century American life. Rockwell (1894-1978), one of America's most popular artists and illustrators, helped forge a sense of national identity during a century of sweeping technological and social change." "Eighty of Rockwell's most beloved paintings are included here, their lush color vividly reproduced. The authors approach Rockwell from a wide variety of perspectives, offering a fresh appreciation of his work, a deep understanding of the complexity of his pictures, and a reassessment of his place as a shaper of mass-media imagery."--BOOK JACKET.