Staff Writer- Emily Sustaita
As a kid, I never thought much of Norman Rockwell. The only illustration of his I could ever recall from memory was titled, Four Sporting Boys – Oh Yeah. And I never thought much of it. I saw it as a rather simplistic painting, and nothing extraordinary.
In other words, his name was like a brush of wind to me; easy to forget. It wasn’t until many years later, when I watched a documentary on him, that I began to view him differently.
For those who are not familiar, Norman Rockwell was a famous American illustrator and painter, known for capturing everyday American life. His artistic career spanned six decades. He specifically worked for the Saturday Evening Post for forty of those years (1916-1963), creating magazine covers for them.
When I watched the Rockwell documentary, I began to interpret his work in a new light. His artwork was more than just a nonsensical display of life. It was artwork that captured life and all of its intimate aspects—its joy, dreams, fear, sadness, and silliness–like a mirror into one’s own life. The more I looked at his artwork, the more I truly believed this.
For example, take a look at his painting called Breaking Home Ties. At first glance, it appears like a simple portrait of a father and son. But, when closely examined, one notices details which indicate the boy is heading off somewhere–most likely college. The boy is eager and looks forward to this new chapter; his father is solemn, holding onto these last moments with his son. Like the father and son, many students on campus have gone through a moment similar to this one.
It is the relatability in this painting that sets Rockwell apart. He captures a moment in life that allows the viewer to realize, “I am not alone.” In other words, the realization that there are other people in this world who experience similar moments to you.
However, Rockwell not only captured these small moments but also values that were crucial for Americans to reflect on. For instance, take a look at his painting called Saying Grace. The title is enough to have someone conclude that following Christianity is the overall message of this painting. But again, with closer examination, there is more that meets the eye: an elderly woman and child pray, as three people quietly look on. This painting is more than just about religion– it’s about “tolerance”: the act of respecting others, even if we do not agree with them.
It is Rockwell’s ability to capture these important values and human moments that lead to my firm belief: in these trying times, we should all look to Rockwell’s work. We live in a time where we are divided as a country; to look at his work can give us inspiration into what it means to be an American. We live in a time where we sneer at our fellow neighbors; to look at his work can serve as a reminder that we are not so different from each other.
That is not to say that Rockwell’s work is the perfect epitome of human experiences, or of American values. Like any other person, he was not a perfect being. For the forty years he spent working at the Saturday Evening Post, he rarely, if ever, depicted minorities in his artwork; he mainly depicted white people.
By the 1960s, though, Rockwell did make an effort to expand his representation of everyday Americans and the issues that they dealt with. Like in his powerful painting titled The Problem We All Live With. In it, he depicts a black girl, named Ruby Bridges, who is being escorted to school by U.S. marshals. The painting serves as a portrayal of the harsh struggle that African Americans went through to cement their rights in this country, in the face of racial discrimination. Furthermore, this painting serves as an important reminder that one cannot just coldly exile a certain group of Americans, like some picky eater. The most accurate representation of the United States comes when we depict everyone in it.
That being said, I did not do Rockwell’s extensive artwork justice, as I could only mention four of his paintings. So, I implore you to explore his artwork on your own and find a work of his that means something to you. Because in these trying times, being able to find that special something that inspires you is a precious thing to wield against the turmoil of these times.