Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

Where: American Art Museum

When: through January 2, 2011

Although I'm very familiar with Norman Rockwell's work, I think this is the first time I've ever seen any of his paintings that were not reproductions - the first time I'd ever seen them "live."

I chose the word "live," with its musical connotations deliberately, as I've discovered that the difference between seeing a reproduction of a piece of art and the actual art work is quite similar to the experience of hearing live music as opposed to an album. Yes, it's the same painting, and yes, it's the same music, but the reason people go to art museums and to concerts is that there is a real, qualitative difference in the experience.

For me, the colors in the actual Rockwell pieces are much more vibrant than the colors in the reproductions. They seem to jump off the canvas - to force the viewer to notice them. I've seen more Rockwell reproductions than I could possibly count, but I've never had this feeling before. Another thing I've never noticed before is his use of the color red as an accent. It's in most of his work; sometimes as a main color, but more often as the color of a man's necktie, or a woman's shoes. Once you're aware of it, you see it everywhere.

Among the pieces that struck me most was "The Connoisseur," in which Rockwell quite successfully paints a Jackson Pollock, which mystifies a viewer. It's easy to dismiss Rockwell as a second-rate artist, but I'm willing to bet he does a better job imitating Pollock, than Pollock could of imitating him.

"Pioneer of the Air" is a fantastic art deco portrait of Charles Lindbergh; the lettering is beautiful, and rather unlike his other work. Again, he had more range than most people think.

I was interested to see a preliminary version of "Freedom of Speech." I've always thought the main figure in that painting looks much like a young Abraham Lincoln. The original figure looks much less Lincoln-ish (if that's a word, which I'm sure it's not). It would be interesting to know why Rockwell changed the appearance of the man speaking...

A painting I had not seen before is "Time for Greatness," which is a wonderful portrait of John Kennedy; better in my view than the official Kennedy portrait.

Verdict: Go see this exhibit. If you like Rockwell, you'll like him better for having seen it. If you don't like Rockwell, this will give you something to think about.