” Rockwell Realism ”
Mixology of Digital Ad world and Social Media , is nothing less than an inspiration derived from Iconic American Illustrator/Painter Norman Rockwell (1894 – 1978 ). Defining identity is probably what Rockwell did best for America over 20th Century. Narrating the power of story telling he chose vast public canvas of print-Ad industry, illustrated everyday social situations portraying the evolving life in America with innocence & humor. As a painter & illustrator he struggled initially with an inability to work without a live model, however in mid 30s , he explored the possibilities of photography as a key tool to break away from any limitation. It is interesting how most of the iconic artists ( before & after ) like Rockwell ( eg David Hockney’s magic with iPhone ) innovated art with technology ! This helped him achieve the most classic compositions in the history of print advertising which till date endure inspiration. His style of realistic illustrations however have become symbolic to the American Life of 20th Century. Rockwell’s work has been published as original covers of magazines like Boy’s Life ,The Saturday Evening Post, Life, Popular Science.
Influence of Rockwell’s realistic art of storytelling can be seen in movies like Forrest Gump, American Gangster, Empire of the Sun etc. Current exhibition hosting his artwork : http://www.nrm.org/2009/10/norman-rockwell-museum-opens-landmark-exhibition-exploring-a-new-body-of-rockwell-imagery/
