"R" as in Norman ROCKWELL for Alphabe-Thursday

It's hard to believe that another week has rolled by and it's time again for Alphabe-Thursday.  This week we are studying the letter "R" as in Norman ROCKWELL.

I grew up with Norman ROCKWELL.  He was an artist/illustrator and did many covers for The Saturday Evening Post and Look Magazine during the time I was growing up in the 1950's and 1960's.  He also did additional work for the Boy Scouts of America.

My Dad used to commute to New York City by train.  He would pick up the Saturday Evening Post so he'd have something to read on the ride home.  I always looked forward to seeing the latest cover.  I'd study all the detail.  Normal Rockwell knew how to tell a story with his work and it was often humorous.  I was fascinated.

Norman ROCKWELL is the artist that did The Four Freedoms Series during WWII.  You've probably seen them before...Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

 Freedom From Want

 I would love to go to the Norman ROCKWELL Museum in Stockbridge, MA. Although it's been number one on my bucket list for many years, I don't see myself going anytime soon.  However, in the early 90's the Boy Scouts of America had a traveling exhibition of some of the ROCKWELL works they own.  They came to Houston and the exhibit was held at the Houston Science Museum.  I thought that was a little strange (instead of the art museum), but I saw a small article in the newspaper and decided to head down there and take a look.  I don't think many people knew about it because when I got there it was just the security guard and me in the room for a while.  I was thrilled.

I walked around the room and took my time trying to study all the detail.  I talked to the guard and shared my story about Dad and the Saturday Evening Post.  Unfortunately, I was having trouble seeing because there was one of those velvet ropes and you could only go so close to each piece.  I couldn't decide if my reading glasses were helping and I turned to the guard and laughed.  I told him I was having trouble because I couldn't get close enough.  He smiled and said, "There's no one else here you can just go under the rope."  I'm pretty sure he wasn't supposed to let anyone do that, but I was ecstatic.  I ducked under and was able to see everything up close and personal.  I could have touched them, but I knew better.  It was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

I do own a few ROCKWELL prints, many ROCKWELL books, some ROCKWELL figurines, and a Christmas Village that is Stockbridge, MA.  There's even a little Norman ROCKWELL figure.  Am I obsessed?  I'm currently reading American Mirror, The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon.  It's a controversial book, but I'm not that far into it to give an opinion.

This is one of his better known pieces done during the Civil Rights Movement called The Problem We All Live With.  I have the print hanging above my fireplace.

It really tells the story of what was happening at that time in our history.  I love the way he put the little girl in a white dress which symbolizes innocence.  This innocent child has to be escorted through hate just to attend school.  It really made an impression on me.

Now head over to Jenny's blog so you can see the list of other Alphabe-Thursday participants and visit  their "R" posts.  Thanks for visiting.