The artwork entitled “Movie Star” was created by Norman Rockwell, a renowned artist known for his detailed and warm-hearted illustrations that captured American culture. Dated 1938, this genre painting falls within the Regionalism art movement, which aimed to represent rural and small-town America during the early 20th century. Rockwell’s piece offers a glimpse into the lives of everyday people and their connection to the broader cultural milieu of the time.
“Movie Star” depicts two young women in a domestic setting, presumably a dormitory room given the “Dormitory Regulations” posted on the wall. The scene is intimate and casual, with the figures seated on a bed adorned with a striped blanket. The woman in the foreground, wearing a white skirt and pink top, clutches a magazine or photograph of a movie star, while the woman behind her, dressed in a blue outfit, peers over her shoulder with what might be interpreted as a reflective or dreamy expression. Their attire and hairstyles are evocative of the late 1930s fashion, and their postures suggest a shared interest or admiration for the film actor featured in the publication.
The setting is further personalized by several photographs of male movie stars scattered around the bed, underscoring the theme of celebrity and the allure of Hollywood during this period. The red background serves to highlight and contrast the figures, focusing the viewer’s attention on the central narrative of the painting. Through this artwork, Rockwell expresses the impact of pop culture on the American public, as well as the quintessential youth’s fascination with movie stars and the dream of glamour they represented. Norman Rockwell’s “Movie Star” is a tender snapshot of American life that speaks to the escapism provided by Hollywood and the longing for a more glamorous existence during an era marked by economic difficulty and the impending World War.
