5 ms·

The Awakening of Norman Rockwell

84 points by prismatic 7y ago

jf 7y ago
What a great article. With only a hint of the usual art critic smarm, it deftly gives depth and context to a side of Rockwell that I didn’t realize existed.
macintux 7y ago
Since the article doesn’t include an image of it, here’s Murder in Mississippi. http://www.nrm.org/MT/text/MurderMississippi.html http://www.nrm.org/MT/text/MurderMississippi.html
thunderbong 7y ago
Norman Rockwell's paintings always invoke a strange feeling in me. I can't quite explain what it is. It's so much centered around America and there are so many Americanisms in it. But even without that, I think it shows the trials and tribulations of humanity everywhere, with a hint of humour to show that life should not be really taken too seriously. And as I grow older I notice small things in his painting which I seem to have missed earlier. But even then, every time I see one of his paintings, the first thing that strikes me always is his enduring and humorous take on life and humanity. Of course, he's also painted portraits and as the article shows, many important and more realistic and tragic side of humanity, but, for me, Norman Rockwell will always be the painter who showed me very early in life, that in most of the world, we have similar struggles and challenges. And how to see life with a sense of humour, because after all, it's really for a very short time.
trothamel 7y ago
I visited the Norman Rockwell museum, in Massachusetts, years and years ago. Totally worth the visit. The article talks about "the somewhat too-vivid yellow of the marshals’ armbands" as being out of place. But at least according to the tour guide, yellow was a color Rockwell used to symbolize hope. I'll toss in my favorite of his, "Lincoln for the Defense", showing the young lawyer using an almanac to prove the testimony of an eyewitness incorrect. https://vitruvius-cdn.museumseven.com/render/600-600@2/dp-261065-22.jpg https://vitruvius-cdn.museumseven.com/render/600-600@2/dp-26...
- jcims 7y ago
  Thank you so much for linking that image, I’ve never seen it before. Can’t get enough of ol’ Abe and seeing Norman Rockwell’s interpretation of him in the trenches is amazing. Edit: Just ordered a print. I needed some inspiration.
  - trothamel 7y ago
    I hope it inspires you, and others as well.
- JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
  Never seen this painting before. He really nailed it.
jhbadger 7y ago
I think the author ignores just how radical Rockwell's earlier "Four Freedoms" were, so his work on civil rights didn't just come out of nowhere. Yes, the "Four Freedoms" can be interpreted as mere "patriotism", but they were based on a speech of FDR's that included "freedom from fear" and "freedom from want", which were both rather radical inclusions as to what freedom meant at the time.
lonelappde 7y ago
Norman Rockwell's paintings are underappreciated at first glance because they have a very direct superficial appearance. It's easy to look at it and say "OK picture" and move on, unlike an enigmatic piece that taubts you and challenges you think for a while to get anything out of it. But if you take the time to look more closely, there's often deeper meaning. His technique is double edged. Negatively, it leads to the work being dismissed too quickly. Positively, it sneaks last our mental defenses against being challenged in uncomfortable ways, and then later we notice the challenge to what we thought we already knew.

84 points by prismatic 7y ago

jf 7y ago

What a great article. With only a hint of the usual art critic smarm, it deftly gives depth and context to a side of Rockwell that I didn’t realize existed.

macintux 7y ago

Since the article doesn’t include an image of it, here’s Murder in Mississippi. http://www.nrm.org/MT/text/MurderMississippi.html http://www.nrm.org/MT/text/MurderMississippi.html

thunderbong 7y ago

Norman Rockwell's paintings always invoke a strange feeling in me. I can't quite explain what it is. It's so much centered around America and there are so many Americanisms in it. But even without that, I think it shows the trials and tribulations of humanity everywhere, with a hint of humour to show that life should not be really taken too seriously. And as I grow older I notice small things in his painting which I seem to have missed earlier. But even then, every time I see one of his paintings, the first thing that strikes me always is his enduring and humorous take on life and humanity. Of course, he's also painted portraits and as the article shows, many important and more realistic and tragic side of humanity, but, for me, Norman Rockwell will always be the painter who showed me very early in life, that in most of the world, we have similar struggles and challenges. And how to see life with a sense of humour, because after all, it's really for a very short time.

trothamel 7y ago

I visited the Norman Rockwell museum, in Massachusetts, years and years ago. Totally worth the visit. The article talks about "the somewhat too-vivid yellow of the marshals’ armbands" as being out of place. But at least according to the tour guide, yellow was a color Rockwell used to symbolize hope. I'll toss in my favorite of his, "Lincoln for the Defense", showing the young lawyer using an almanac to prove the testimony of an eyewitness incorrect. https://vitruvius-cdn.museumseven.com/render/600-600@2/dp-261065-22.jpg https://vitruvius-cdn.museumseven.com/render/600-600@2/dp-26...

jcims 7y ago
Thank you so much for linking that image, I’ve never seen it before. Can’t get enough of ol’ Abe and seeing Norman Rockwell’s interpretation of him in the trenches is amazing. Edit: Just ordered a print. I needed some inspiration.
- trothamel 7y ago
  I hope it inspires you, and others as well.
JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
Never seen this painting before. He really nailed it.

jhbadger 7y ago

I think the author ignores just how radical Rockwell's earlier "Four Freedoms" were, so his work on civil rights didn't just come out of nowhere. Yes, the "Four Freedoms" can be interpreted as mere "patriotism", but they were based on a speech of FDR's that included "freedom from fear" and "freedom from want", which were both rather radical inclusions as to what freedom meant at the time.

lonelappde 7y ago

Norman Rockwell's paintings are underappreciated at first glance because they have a very direct superficial appearance. It's easy to look at it and say "OK picture" and move on, unlike an enigmatic piece that taubts you and challenges you think for a while to get anything out of it. But if you take the time to look more closely, there's often deeper meaning. His technique is double edged. Negatively, it leads to the work being dismissed too quickly. Positively, it sneaks last our mental defenses against being challenged in uncomfortable ways, and then later we notice the challenge to what we thought we already knew.