Norman Rockwell’s works have always enchanted America with their clear-eyed and humorous picture of life in the country’s heartland: here are the very best of them, from the Saturday Evening Post covers to The Four Freedoms, a series of paintings done during World War II.
Every image still exudes its fresh charm, unsullied by sentimentality: Santa, napping as the elves scurry about him and finish Christmas preparations; Grandma placing a large Thanksgiving turkey on the table, surrounded by her smiling family; a mother, stepping out of a slightly run-down apartment building with arms joyfully outstretched to greet her son, newly returned from the war.
From the deeply personal to the political—a black child being led to school by US Marshals in the early days of integration—every piece retains its fascination. Thomas S. Buechner, a distinguished former director of the Brooklyn Museum, examines Rockwell’s style, technique, and development, placing him in perspective as an important force in 20th-century art.
United States