Seduction and Symbols
Norman Rockwell, The Problem We All Live With
It’s not considered hip to like Norman Rockwell. But, fortunately, I gave up on the hip idea a long time ago (hence the madras shirts and khakis I wear). Last term, I suggested that one of my students look at the Norman Rockwell Four Freedoms. I was met with a blank stare, as if I’d suggested researching an obscure 14th century painter. This was a terrifying moment. People’s grandmothers like Norman Rockwell. I assumed everyone in the civilized world knew at least a few paintings. I was wrong, and that is the tragedy of today’s wayward youth. They all need a good dose of Rockwell’s wholesome small town. That would keep them away from the constant huffing.
Obviously, this world is a mythical place sort of like Pleasantville. Rockwell’s paintings go beyond the sentimental. They carry symbols and iconography that allow us to manufacture a clear narrative. It is not just a picture of the teacher’s birthday. The scene is set with a multitude of clues. The coat in her hand and chalk eraser on the floor communicates her surprise. A line of small gifts is on her desk. Each of these tells a story of the children preparing for this day at home, or on the walk to school. Even the tiny section of the American flag sets the scene in a minimal way.
The Problem We All Live With, painted in 1964, depicts Ruby Bridges walking to the newly integrated Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. It is the most requested piece at the Norman Rockwell Museum. This incredible painting succeeds with the use of a tool I often discuss, seduction. The unassuming and innocent approach welcomes the viewer into the piece, and then communicates a complicated and disturbing subject matter. The racial slurs on the wall, and thrown tomato contrast with the girl’s white dress and confident stride. The touch of a notebook with stars and the red and blue pencils suggests the American flag subtly. This is not sentimental, or purely journalistic. Rockwell was a genius at utilizing symbols, color, and scene to convey a narrative in a single moment.
Norman Rockwell, New Day in the Neighborhood
Norman Rockwell, Teacher's Birthday
Norman Rockwell, The Connoisseur
Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want
Norman Rockwell, Sunday Morning
Tags: 1964, civil rights, Four Freedoms, Illustration, Norman Rockwell, Pleasantville, Ruby Bridges, segregation, The Problem We All Live With
July 8th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I was never much of a Rockwell fan, but made a point to visit the museum on my annual trip to Massachusetts last year. I went in with fairly low expectations and was surprised to discover it was one of the high points of my trip. The quality of his work completely knocked me for a loop – I knew he was a storyteller, but the man could PAINT like nobody’s business. I wound up spending three hours there, after only planning to be there for one. Fantastic and well worth the trip if you’re in western Mass. or Albany.
July 9th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
On the other hand, Rockwell’s perfect, created world—that thanksgiving table, for instance—makes a lot of people feel that their lives have cheated them, when in reality, their less-than-perfect lives are quite normal.
July 9th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
I’m jealous.I hear that LACMA is going to have an exhibit next year, or someone else, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are lending their huge Rockwell collections.
July 9th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Nancy, I’m confused. You mean life isn’t like that for everyone? I’m headin’ down to the fishin hole later.