the hippies saw Norman Rockwell’s paintings.... and had to destroy the America they depicted
There MAY be some bashers in this crowd regarding his politics, but I remember Boys Life as a boy, and about 40% of what I saw from Rockwell reflected my life with about 60% programming my idea of America.
I take a lot of heat from many freepers (sometimes good-natured, sometimes not) for living in Massachusetts, but I must say...one of the BEST things about living here is only being an hour away from the Norman Rockwell Museum.
For a long time in my life, I ‘liked’ his paintings in a quaint, distracted kind of way. They were part of the fabric of American life. You see his work in stores, on plates, on posters, in magazines, and so on.
But when I went to the museum for the first time and saw his work up close and live...I was astounded. Seeing his work live is NOTHING like seeing it in any other reproduced media.
I cannot explain it, except to say it seemed to take on some other kind of dimension and richness. Just stunning. The precise detail in his works, everything. Nearly everyone I have spoken to who has gone there has the same impression.
I go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and to the Isabella Gardener Musum (famous for the heist where works by Renoir and Vermeer were stolen), so I have seen many works of the masters.
Rockwell has been treated poorly by the world of art. I assure you, his work is as remarkable as the work of the masters. Standing there and viewing it touched me as no Monet, Matisse, Renoir or Van Gogh ever did.
I know I will take heat from some quarters for being a philistine, but...it is MY opinion!
If you ever pass through or visit Massachusetts, I recommend you visit the museum.