Norman Rockwell

It’s worth visiting the Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, if you have any interest in American popular culture, illustration and/or art. Regardless of how one feels about Rockwell as an artist, or even an illustrator, there is no question that his work captures the American spirit at a certain time in our history. Those Saturday Evening Post covers went on for almost fifty years, starting in 1916, when he was 22 years old. That’s quite a body of work.

It seems that Rockwell, who for a long time was not considered a serious artist by the people who get paid to consider such things, is lately becoming considered a serious artist. Or maybe not, depending on your point of view. After all, we live in a world that seemed to go wild over Damien Hirst’s dots not so long ago (or at least those people went wild who get paid to consider such things as whether the various dot paintings by people on Hirst’s staff working under his direction are actually art).

So where is the debate on Rockwell at the moment? A feel-good master’s complex message in the Guardian sums it up. They also provide a few samples at Why Norman Rockwell is still cool.

I say, decide for yourself. The business of art criticism is way too complex to leave it in the hands of the art critics.