I love viewing the paintings of the great artist/story teller Norman Rockwell that are displayed at the museum dedicated to him, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

So when I heard about,Telling Stories, the Smithsonian’s new exhibit of his works that were collected by the movie directors, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, I made sure to visit this collection when I was in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago.The collection, which continues until January 2, 2011, is located  about 5 blocks away from the main collection of the Smithsonian museums and is very close to the Spy Museum.

That day’s brutally hot weather made the extra 5 block walk feel like 5 miles, but I wasn’t disappointed. Along with the wonderful art work, there were large photographs of Rockwell setting up the scenes of several of the paintings.

The museum noted that, in the 1930’s, Rockwell began using photographs to develop his compositions. Instead of asking models to pose for long hours, Rockwell used photography to capture their positions and expressions quickly,   The artist often used elements from as many as 100 photos in his color sketches and pencil drawings before painting the final canvas.

So why did Lucas and Spielberg feel that Rockwell was such a kindred spirit? The exhibit had a nice film of Spielberg and Lucas discussing their collections, and it was explained that Rockwell was a master storyteller who accomplished his work with a movie director’s eye, with a nuance for setting, and with a deep understanding of the American character. Rockwell adjusted props and lighting until he had achieved the desired effect; he auditioned his models; and he had those individuals wear different costumes.  He even acted out the parts so he could show the models what effect he was trying to achieve.

If you go, let us know which paintings you liked the best.  I especially liked the selection that focused on his time in Hollywood.