Norman Rockwell

Thx, Angelique. I'll be watching this space for the Guggenheim dates and whether the exhibit is due to come to Boston.

Your very welcome MA*smiles* I'm definitely going to see it myself.

No matter what anybody says (and the revisionistsare many) Norman Rockwell is too im portant a US artist to trivialize.
I hadda say that cause I know the next bunch of people are gonna be detractors of this mans body of work.

Actually, that's what I was going to say, too.

hee hee beeetcha fer once.

I hope it comes to Philly or DC. Ive always been amazed at Rockwell and his ability to direct our eyes by mostly action tricks and cues.

keeping my mouth shut.

Rockwell was ambivalent about his position as an artist. He always described himself as an illustrator not a painter.

anyone who painted this is ok by me:

I appreciate Rockwell very much. Let the detractors have their say; it will not sway me.

Of course he was primarily an illustrator, not a studio painter. That, for me, does not detract from his not inconsiderable talent. His vision is unique and immediately recognizable. You take one look and say, immediately, "Oh, that's a Rockwell," without even needing to look for the signature. For me, it is the very naivetee of some of his story-telling pictures that is so refreshing. In spite of the high technical skill, they remind one of some of the better "primitives," e.g. Grandma Moses.

Don't forget that a number of other respected painters also did commercial illustrations. Winslow Homer started his career as an illustrator for Harper's Weekly during the US Civil War. Toulouse Lautrec did posters for the Moulin Rouge nightclub and other venues. (BTW, there's a fine article on Homer in this week's New Yorker by Adam Gopnik.)

Rockwell's pix sometimes creep me out.

Why? They are often sentimental, sometimes maudlin, but creepy is not a term I would apply to them

Thank you for the information Acquiunk! The only information I found following my friends lead was an old exhibit.