Blog Post

The Upbeat Art of Norman Rockwell

Which is one form of art that tells a story

 

Several months ago subscriber and friend Carole Sawada allowed me to share some of the results of her wonderful talent for photography. Those pictures magnified some of the awesome beauty all around us. 

Another venue that tells a story is painting, and one of my favorite artists is Normal Rockwell.

     Happily I have a lot of company in the Norman Rockwell fan club. His art is extremely valuable today, even in an art market that has tilted toward modernism and impressionism. It has stood the test of time. 

     Author Jan Karon has said her At Home in Mitford series is intended to celebrate the common life. I think Rockwell did that too.  He told countless stories in his illustrations that graced the cover of The Saturday Evening Post and other publications for decades. And somehow he almost always managed to show the joy and the humor and the hope in situations and events that are a part of the every day fabric of life of people in all walks of life. 

     When he was six years old my husband and I took our grandson to Phoenix to an art exhibition of Norman Rockwell's work. The exhibit was set up to appeal to the young and old alike. You could get head phones that explained the stories behind many of the paintings, one head set for children, one for adults. It was a huge success with all three of us. Later I asked Malachi if he could name a favorite among all of the pictures he saw. After a few minutes of serious thought he said it was The Discovery, the picture of the little boy finding a Santa Claus suit in a bureau drawer! 

     One of my favorites may surprise you. It is the photo shown below. There is the naive young man with his battered suitcase, the look on his face expressing all of his anticipation for the future as he waits for the bus to come. Sitting on their battered old truck is his father, who shows in every fiber of his being the price he has paid to make this moment possible. 

     Perhaps some people wouldn't think this is a very upbeat painting at all. To me it's beautiful. It reminds me of the hard working people I grew up with, including my dad, granddads, uncles, and neighbors. Their lives counted for so much, and one of their main purposes in life was to give their children the opportunity for higher education and careers that were never available to them.   

     Do you have a favorite Rockwell, or another favorite artist that lifts your spirits?