I MUSEUM FROM THE DIRECTOR

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lee Williams, President Michelle G ill ett, First Vice President Perri Petricca, Second Vice President , Third Vice President James W. Ireland, Treasurer This season's new exhibition, Freedom: evenings in July and August, the Freedom Mark Selkowitz, Clerk Norman Rockwell's Years, is Fonl1n lecturc series will offer compelling Robert Berle the second in a series that explores perspectives on the meaning of freedom Ann Fitzpatrick Brown Daniel M. Cain significant phases in Norman Rockwell's in our world. Noted guests include Alan Jan Cohn I ife and career. Last summer we took Chartock, Ph.D., chair and executive Bobbie Crosby an in-depth look at the artist's work director ofWAMC; Ewert Cousins, Catharine B. Deely wh en he li ved in New Rochelle, New Ph.D., noted philosopher, theologian Heather Wells lIeim James W. Ireland Yo rk, and presented it in thc context of and author; Randy Cohen, author of Ell en Kahn the of his contcmporaries. the Times Magazine column, Jeffrey Kleiser Next summer we will shine a spotli ght The Ethicist, and James MacGregor Thomas D. McCann Deborah S. McMenamy on Rockwell's accomplishmcnts and Burns, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential Wendell Minor global connections during the last biographer. The lecture series has been John C. (Ilans) Morris 25 years of his life, when he made his sponsored by the Norman Rockwell Barbara essim home in Stockbridge. Museum's board of trustees. Please chcck Brian J. Quinn Tom Rockwell our website, www.nrm.org, for many Edward A. Scofield Freedom: Nomwn Rockwell's Vermont other exciting programs for children Diana Walczak Years examines Rockwell's life and and familics. Richard B. Wilcox career in the Arlington, Vermont, region TRUSTEES EMERITI from 1939 to 1953. It's a fascinati ng look at On a personal note, I want to thank all Li la Wilde Berle the relationships, styles and influences of of you who made our gala celebration of S. Lane Faison, Jf. Jane P. Fitzpatrick Rockwell and other noted illustrators my 25 years with the Museum and our Harvey Chet Krentzman who were living and working in the area 10 years in our new home so very special. oTina G. Ogden at the same time, including Mead I am grateful for the support of each and Henry H. Williams, Jf. Schaeffcr, John Atherton and George every one of you who help make this Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director Hughes. The exhibition also considers Museum such an extraordinary pl ace. portfolio Arlington's unique position as an artistic colony for Saturday Even ing Post cover Have a wondcrful summer. I hope to Volume 20, Issue 2, Summer 2003 Kimberly Rutberg, Editor artists, and highlights th eir illustra ti ons see you at the Museum! Jeremy Clowe, Editorial Assistant published during the World War II years. Portfolio is published four times a yea r by the orman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, Inc., This exhibition would not have been and is sent free to all members. © 2003 by th e annan Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge. possible without the generosity of the All rights reserved. many lenders who have kindly shared Cover: , Norman Rockwell. their works of art with us. I would like © 1954 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indi anapo li s, IN. to express sincere thanks to them for affording so many Muscum visitors an extraordinary opportunity to experience th e rich diversity of Rockwell 's art in its ori ginal form.

The Norman Rockwell Museum is funded in part b), the Massachuselts CulillTa l Council, a statc agency In commemoration of the 60th anniver­ thai supports public programs in the arls, humanilies, sary of Rockwell's beloved and sciences. paintings, we are presenting a lecture KIDS FREE EVERY DAY! KIDS FREE lo:\"c I)'d"\"1 A Gift 10 ['amilies from scries inspired by them. On T hursday Coun!!YCurtains. and 'filE REO LlllN INN

2 SUMMER 2003 UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS spotlight

Red Rose Girls: An Uncommon The Picture of Health: Rockwell Story of Art and Love Paintings from the Pfizer Collection

NOVEMBER 8, 2003 THROUGH MAY 31, 2004 NOVEMBER 8,2003 THROUGH MAY 31, 2004 At a time when women were prohibited from taking life­ A poignant series of original works created by orman drawing classes at most art schools, , Rockwell for the Upjohn Company are at the center of this and were encour­ exhibition focusing on the artist's portrayals of the medical pro­ aged in their pursuits and celebrated for their talents. fession at work. Rockwell's images helped to shape the public's Determined to make their mark, they attended the venerable perception of the doctor as a kind, caring and knowledgeable Academy of Fine Arts and met as students of professional in advertisements and posters created between the legendary illustrator at the Drexel Institute. late 1930S and the early 1960s for the pharmaceutical company. Nicknamed "The " by Pyle, who became their mentor, they took up residence in the Red Rose Inn, 18th Annual Berkshire County a picturesque estate on 's venerable Main Line, and captivated the city with their brilliant careers and High School Art Show unconventional lifestyles. JANUARY 24, 2004 THROUGH FEBRUARY 22, 2004 The Red Rose Girls: An Uncommon Story of Art and Love A lively and diverse exhibition of original works by Berkshire tells the true tale of three outstanding early 20th-century County high school art students. women artists who enjoyed public recognition, success, and an intense emotional bond that enriched each of their lives. Jessie Willcox Smith and Elizabeth Shippen Green were prolific Contemporary Voices: illustrators, collaborating on children's books and garnering Women in lucrative assignments for periodicals such as Scribner's, Collier's, and Harper's. Violet Oakley was an illustrator, painter , 2004 THROUGH MAY 31, 2004 and muralist of national reputation. Their unforgettable story Explore the world of women artists who are working in the unfolds against a backdrop oflate Victorian mores and the field of illustration today in this outstanding exhibition of emerging women's rights movement, punctuated by more than original art for magazines, newspapers, children's books and 80 vibrant, original works from public and private collections, advertisements, and personal commentary documenting and a rich array of archival photographs and publications. each artist's professional journey. Mother and Child, Jessie Willcox Smith, 1908. Collection of Jane Sperry Eisenstat. Doctor and Bo)' Looking at Thennometer, Licensed by N0l111an Rocl.:wel1 Licensing, Niles.IL.

SUMMER 2003 3 NORMAN ROCKWELL year y year 1942

By Linda Pero

Vermont living, aside from an occasional Grange Hall square dance or town meeting, provided few distractions for a work-centered artist such as Norn1an Rockwell. Few social or professional expectations, aside from the pleasurable evening cocktail hour with his Saturday Evening Post colleagues, and Jack Atherton, dissuaded him from tilne at his easel. The relative solitude along with winter's cold and shortened daylight hours eventually urged Rockwell and his family to find diversions.

In the fall of 1941, Rockwell shipped the third in his seri es of of this beautiful C hristmas present to Post readers, Rockwell paintings off to Philadelphia. T hen, having had could take a much-needed break. 1941 had been an exhausting his assistant Gene Pelham construct a full-size news kiosk year for Rockwell. "I was absolutely worn out with the severe within his studio l and model maker Ned Burns construct a schedule," he told Leo Burnett, who was handling the Niblets scale model with lighting, based on an actual newsstand in corn account and pleading for another advertisement from New York Cityz, Rockwell produced an enchanting wartime Rockwell. According to doctor's orders, he was to have a real Christmas cover of a news seller. The December night sky, rest.) T he Rockwell family made preparations to travel to dotted with chunky snowfl akes, was painted in deep ultra­ southern California where they could stay with Mary Rockwell's marine blue to offset the warm orange glow of a stove that famil y. Alhambra was not only home to Mary's family, the surrounds the news seller who, like a C harl es Dickens' Barstows, but claimed several notable artists including Frank character, knits with fingerless gloves. With th e completion Tenney Johnson, Sam Hyde Harris and Eli Harvey, making it

4 SUMMER 2003 By ERIC KNIG HT an enticing winter destination for Rockwell. In November of in 1923 and one for the Post in 1929-Rockwell engaged the 1941, the family traveled by rail to California for Rockwell's renowned animal sculptor Eli Harvey to pose as the doctor. enforced rest but it wasn't long before Rockwcll felt the tug Since his first visit to southern California in 1930, when he of his backlog of commissions-two story illustrations for met his future wife Mary Barstow, California had shown its American Magazine and one for McCall's. He rented a studio, charms to Rockwell. He found inspiration in its pool of purchased artists' supplies, hired a local photographer and screen star models like and Raymond Massey, made purchases from Cinema Props and th e Western in its source of IIollywood themes for his Post covers and in Costume Company.4 Alhambra's community of artists. California would lure him back many morc times in the years to come. When March Taking advantage of his proximity to Hollywood, Rockwell arrived, all of the new cquipment and supplies were shipped posed nine-year-old screen star Joan Carroll (of Meet Me home to Arlington and the Rockwells boarded the train for in St. Louis fame) for his illustration for a Ladies' Home the journey home. Journal story called Aunt Ella Takes a Trip. For RKO's The Magnificent Ambersons movie poster, Rockwell painted Upon his return to Vermont, Rockwell produced two more portraits of Agnes Morehead, Anne Baxter, Joseph CoLton, Post covers in his Willi e Gilles series: Willie reading a Delores Costello, Tim Holt, and Richard Bennett. He then newspapcr from home and Willie in a blackout. Rockwell's occupied himself with McCall's commission to paint Lincoln interpretation of the way war was affecting its soldiers and delivering the Gettysburg Address. In a stroke of political Americans at home was decidedly distracting from the real precociousness, McCall's editor Henry Dreyfuss suggested agonies of war. In mid-April the Post published a Rockwell that he might include a woman in the pichne behind Lincoln sketch of Willie G illis encouraging the purchase of war bonds for historical accuracy. I-Iearing that Lincoln's party may have for th e Defense Savings Campaign. Days later, Rockwell included women, he and Rockwell apparently discussed received a letter from the Guild Artists Bureau in ew York whether or not a woman should be included; Dreyfuss found entreating him to undertake a poster assignment for the evidence that women had indeed been present.; Rockwcll's Ordnance Department of the Army-due May 14. 6 Rockwell so-called vacation was quickly becoming consumed with work set to work immediately on his painting of an anti-aircraft as he began the fourth painting in a series he'd been doing machine gunner, the only baLtle scene he would do for the for Upjohn Pharmaceuticals on the merits of vitamin War Department. The poster assignment letter neglected supplements. For this new version of a doctor examining to request a vertical format, standard for posters intended to a little girl's doll-he had done one for the Literary Digest hang in wcapons factories where they would inspire workers

SUMMER 2003 5 to increase production, and Rockwell unwittingly embarked The spring of 1942 also saw the wrap-up of the first national on a large 42- by 52-inch horizontal painting. tour of Norman Rockwell paintings. Organized by Ferargil, Inc., 30 paintings, including 15 oils for Tom Sawyer and Despite its horizontal form at, th e poster was a great success Huckleberry Finn, debuted at their East 57th Street gallery and, in August, Magazine published in New York in January 1941. Over the next 16 months the Biography of a Postd devoted to the machine gunner exhibition traveled to cities in 10 states across the country. painting. Explai ning that the poster would be distributed to ordnance plants throughout the country, it gave a step-by­ On May 21, Rockwell and Mead Schaeffer visited the step account of how Rockwell had created th e image, from Ordnance Department in Washington, D.C., with a having an actual gun crew with the latest equipment sent to progress report on th e machine gunner painting. At home his studio, to the changes in design and concept. Rockwell's in Vermont, they had discussed how they could make a original caption read "Are yo u backing m e up?" and showed significant contribution to the war effort. With their official a gunner smiling in the picture. He replaced it with the busincss completed, th ey pitched their proposals. Rockwell slogan, "Let's G ive him Enough and On Time" and a more would interpret Roosevelt's Four Freedoms ideals and realistic depiction of a gunner whose fa ce is hidden in Schaeffer would paint a series of portraits of U.S. servicemen. shadow. It was an effective means of all owing the viewer to According to published accounts, th e War Department identify with the subject. didn't have th e time to publish th eir posters nor could they pay Rockwell or Schaeffer th e fees th ey were accustomed to. Rockwell was summoned to fight a battle of h is own that Rockwell received only $300 for th e machine gunner paint­ spring when he saw that his signature, along with those of ing. The four paintings were expected to take at least three other illustrators, had been removed from one of th e exclusive months of his time. 9 On their way home, Schaeffer illustrations for American Magazine he had created while and Rockwell stopped at C urtis Publishing in Philadelphia in California. Rockwell adamantl y rebuked th e policy in a and showed their sketches to Ben Hibbs, who had recently letter to the editor. "The custom of an artist's signing his succeeded Wesley Stout as editor. Hibbs eagerly embraced work goes back to the very beginning of art, and whether a th eir id eas and made plans to include them in the Post. magazine has a legal right or not to remove th e signature, Rockwell was given special dispensa ti on to halt all other Post I feel they have no moral right to do so. I feel it is unpardon­ work in order to concentrate on the Freedoms but when he able that a man's original creati ve work should be altered returned to Vermont he resumed work on two ideas already without so much as asking him or notifying him of it."8 in development-Willie Gillis in Church and Willie Gillis: Rockwell's fiery emphasis was fueled by his loyalty to his illus­ Girls with Letters. trator colleagues whose interests he felt he was defending. The next Rockwell illustration American Magazine published, Work began in earnest in July when Rockwell posed eight in the December 1942 issue, carri ed his signature. models for Freedom of Speech. He revised his picture concept

6 SUMMER 2003 and canvas four times until it evolved into the pain Ling we us all. Those four pictures quickly became the best known know. In addition to the problems with Freedom of Speech, and most appreciated paintings of that era. They appeared Rockwell spent two months on Freedom to Worship, changing right at a time when the war was going against us on the the subject from a barbershop scene to the less narrative treat­ battle fronts, and th e American people needed the inspira­ ment of a composite of profiles. tional message which th ey conveyed so forcefully and so beautifully."l z Numerous requests for illustration work streamed in while

Rockwell was at work on the Four Freedoms. Most of these L INDA P I~ RO is curator of Norman Rockwell Coll ections at the were refused. Because he had agreed to do a series of paintings Norman Rockwell Museum. for Whib11an's Chocolates in March, he was forced to have the ED ITOR'S NOTE: American Artists agency extract him from his promise by In the last issue, we promised th e year 1913 would be covcrednext. telling them that only subjects that carried a war message However, we jumped to 1942 lo coincid e with the era explored in could be considered by Rockwell.lO He was able to fit in Freedom: Norman Rockwell's Vennont Years. an advertisement for AMOCO that carried the motivational PAC 1-: 4: Abraham Lincoln Delivering the Gettysburg Address, orman Rockwe ll , slogan, Hop in Neighbor, intended to encourage Americans July 1942, McGall's. Lice nsed by orm an Rockwell Li censing, Nil es, II.. to car-pool, but because of his schedule, turned down a PAC 1-: 5: News Kiosk, Norman Rockwell. © 1942 SEPS : Liccnsed by Curtis Pub lishing, , lL. request to do a cover for Sea Power Magazine to publicize Rockwell in his Arlington Studio, 1942. Photograph er unknown. Norm an recruitment of Merchant Marines. 11 Rockwell Rights of Publicity Licensed by Norman Roc kwe ll Licensing, Niles, IL. Doctor c- Doll, 1942. Li censed by Norm an Rockwe ll Licellsing, Nil es, IL. I'AO: 6: Aunt Ella Takes a Trip . Ladies' I lome Journal story ill ustrati on, April During the spring and summer Rockwell also managed to 1942. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Li censing, il es, lL . Movie poster for paint illustrations for (The Meeting), th e The Magnificent Ambersons, 1942. PACE T Pencil study and final version, oil on canvas, Let's Give J-/im Enough Saturday Evening Post (Do You Know a Better Man?) and at and on Tim e, poster for U.S. Army, 1942. Licensed by orm an Rockwell least four advertisements for Schenley Cream of Kentucky Licensing, Nil es, IL . whiskey. Before the year ended, covers were painted for the November and December issues of the Post as well: Woes of I Conversation with Ann e Pelham . an Anny Cook and Merry Christmas, a picture of Santa C laus 2 Saturday El'e//illg Post, "Keeping Posted ," December 20, 1941. 3 Dmft of lett er from Nonnan Roekwcllto Leo I3llrnett , Lco Burnell Co. NRAC r Studio Collect ion, Box 10. bursting through a newspaper covered in war headlines. 4 I orlllan Rock\\'elllcdgcr 1941-1944, NRACT, Studio Collec ti on. 5 Leiter from Il cnry Dreyfu ss to Norman Rockwell , November 13, 1941 , NRACT Shlclio Collecti on, Box 10. 6 Leiter from }anl cs D. Ilerber! to Norman Rockwell , April 22, 1<)42, NRACT Studi o Coll ec tion, Box 10. 7 'ew York Times Magazille, August 16, 1942. no author. By the end of 1942 Rockwell completed all four of his 8 Leit er from orman Rockwell to Sl1mn er Blossom, cd. Americall Magaz ille, June, 9, 1942. NRACT Freedoms paintings. They had taken six months instead of the Studio Co llec li on, Box 10 . 9 Invoi ce frolll Cui ld Artists Bureau to Williams & Saylor, }ul), 10, 1942, RACT Studio Coll ection, Box 10. three months he had expected but they were appreciatively 10 Leiter 10 \-Valt er Siocklin , \Vard \Vheelock Co. Inc. Advertising from Sidney Mendelsohn , Ameri can A rl j ~ l s, June 5, 1942, NRACT Studio Collection , Box 10. received. In his autobiography, Rockwell quoted editor Ben II Leiter from Ilcnd ry L. Bart 10 Norman Rockwell , May I. 1<)42, NRACT Stl1di o Coll cc tion, Box 10. 12 orman Rockwell as told to , NOnluln Rockwell: My Adventures as an Ill ustrator Hibbs' generous praise of his work. "The result astonished (New York: I larry N. Abram s, Inc. 1988), p. 317.

SUMME R 2003 7 Freedom: Norman Rockwell's Vermont Years By Linda Pero

aIf we lose what it is that Rockwell's art stood for, then we have lost something very basic to what it means to be an American."

Robert A.M. Stern, Architect

George Hughes and Gene Pelham that demonstrate the artis­ tic environment in whi ch Rockwell sociali zed and worked. Photogra phs of family, studio, home, and friends offer more insight into Rockwell's world, and artifacts, such as Rockwell's 1939 bicycle, put us in touch with his personal life.

After an extended summer in the 80-year-old farmhouse the Rockwell family purchased as a vacation reh'eat, they decided to make Arlington, Vermont, their permanent home. The Rockwells arranged for renovations and for a studio to be built and, by 1939, had settled into country life. Rockwell sa id the honesty and integrity of his new neighbors, taking long walks through the mountains, climbing through old apple orchards and pi cking blueberries, all made him feel The artwork and artifacts featured in this summer's special as ifhe'd "fall en into utopia." exhibition, Freedom: Nonnan Rockwell 's Ve m10nt Years, trace the life and work of Rockwell from 1938, when he first traveled Not long after his move, Rockwell's illustrator colleagues, to Vermont in search of a summer home, to 1953, when he Mead Schaeffer and John Atherton, and their families relo­ moved to Stockbridge, . Many of the exhibition's cated to Arlington. A few years later, illustrator George 54 paintings were borrowed from other museums, corporations, Hughes joined th em. Leaving the distractions of his former and private art collections, and include paintings and drawings New Rochelle social clique, Rockwell was now free to focus by Mead Schaeffer, John Atherton, G randmas Moses, even more intensely on his work. T he interesting, character-

8 SUMMER 2003 1 1

etched faces of his Vermont neighbors brought new life and Office of War Information, tl1 ey found that th e government an honest reality to the people pictured in Rockwell's genre could not publish their work because of time constraints. scenes. (In this balanced blend of peaceful surroundings, On th eir way home, Rockwell and Schaeffer stopped in close friends, good neighbors and th e stimulation of his illus­ Philadelphia to see the editor of the Saturday Evening Post trator colleagues, an environment developed that fostered an on other business. Learning of their poster ideas, editor artistic period in which Rockwell created paintings that were Ben Hibbs immediately engaged them to proceed with instantly regarded as his bes t work. th eir picture ideas for use in the Post. T he first of Mead Schaeffer's fourteen heroic paintings of U.S. servicemen, By tl1e time Rockwell moved to Vermont in 1939, war raged now considered to be th e most authentically painted pictures in Europe and, with America's entry into the military arena of men in service, was published as the October 24, 1942 in 1941, Rockwell and Schaeffer, each in his forti es, began cover of the Post. Rockwell's Freedom of Speech, the first in thinking about how they might contribute to th e war effort. his seri es of four paintings about fundamental freedoms, was With markedly different perspectives, they each recorded published inside the Post on , 1943. Soon after, their interpretation of the effects of th e war on servicemen Rockwell's Four Freedoms images wo uld be used as posters to and Americans at home. For Rockwell, an unassuming private promote th e sale of war bonds. The compelling images of named Willie G illis told th e story of one man's army in a brave and determined American servicemen, along with series of fourteen Post covers depicting everything from KP images of citizens at home enjoying the benefits of their duty to eagerly reading a newspaper from home. sacrifices, instilled in Ameri cans pride, honor and a greater understanding of the reasons for a war in distant lands. In 1942, Rockwell and Schaeffer went to Washington, D.C., The artists' individual desires to contribute to th e war effort to offer to create posters for the government. After meeting rallied many others to purchase war bonds and enli st in willi the UndersecretalY of War and a representative from th e military service.

SUMMER 2003 9 Rapid changes after World War II, including the effects of a baby boom, the new role and self-image of women forged by their recently acquired skills and, most impor­ tantly, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, forced Americans to see the world-and tllemselves-in a different light. Despite an overt sense of prosperity, tllere was a new unease; Americans had exchanged their par­ ents' war and struggles in the Great Depression with the pervasive fear and threat of nuclear war. As a perennial idealist, Rockwell didn't include the worries of the new generation in his work, but he did look more seriously at tl1e subject of youth, and depicted adolescents as more complex, multi-dimensional people. Rockwell's youth are depicted less at play and more in situations about growing up. Paintings like Breaking Home Ties, Facts of Life and reminded us that we would ultimately have to face tlle problems of a modern world and deal with issues that had before been, in Rockwell 's Page 8: Sons Peter and 10m play on the lawn in front of Nom1an Rockwell's words, "swept under the rug." Arlington, Vermont, studio. Photo by Gene Pelham, c. 1940. Page 9: Nom1an Rockwell painting , 1951. Photographer unknown. Norman Freedom: Norman Rockwell's VemlOnt Years will be on Rockwell Rights of Publicity Licensed by orman Rockwell Licensing, iles, IL. Saying Grace, © 1951 SEPS. Licensed by Gurtis Publishing, Indianapolis, view until October 19, 2003. Public programs for Freedom IN. Page 10: Liberty Girl, study for September 4, 1943 Saturday Evening Post are supported by U.S. Bank cover. © 1943 SEPS: Licen~ed by Gurtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. Family and neighbors in Rockwell's studio, 1944. Photo by Robert McAfee. LINDA PERO is curator of the exhibition. The Gossips, © 1948 SEPS: Licensed by Gurtis Publishing, Indianapolis, I

10 SUMMER 2003 brush ~woke~

N orman Says ...

"I do ordinary people in everyday situations, and that's about all I can do. I didn't use to think so, but now I know my limitations. Whatever I want to express I have to express in those terms. And I find that 1 can fit most anything into that frame, even fairly big ideas. Freedom of Worship is a

pretty big idea. So's Freedom of Speech." - orman Rockwell , from My Adventures as an Illustrator.

John Fitzpatrick and Laurie Norton Moffat

l-l enry I-/, William s, center, with Faria Marsden and Harry Stuart, 1986. A Gala Weekend A Tribute to On the evcning of June 13, th e Museum's Henry H. Williams, Jr. Anniversary Gala was attended by more than Henry, we pay lTibute to you and your During the 1980s you were th e 200 celebrants (many porting dashing hats) fami ly tod ay in recognili on of your yea rs Berkshire County Chairman of our who toasted th e 10th annivcrsa ry of th e of ded ica tion to th e Norman Rockwell Capital Campaign to raise funds for our Museum building and Dircctor Laurie Muse um , your fri endship with Norman new Museum building. After retirement Norton Moffatt's 25 th anniversary wi th th e Rockwell and your devo tion to your as Pres ident from Berkshire Bank, you Museum. famil y and communily. join ed th e Museum staff as our first In 1973 you joined th e board of the finan cial officer, man aging th e complexi­ The next morning, th e Museum held a dedi­ Old Corn er House, just four years afte r ti es of the Museum's capital ca mpaign, ca ti on ceremony for th e Henry H. Wi lli ams, its founding. You se rved as trustee for growing budget and new Museum Jr. bench, th at was crea ted by area artist Toby Berkshire Bank to Norman Rockwell 's construction. Walton. Williams, who is a trustee emeritu s, Estate, and helped to forge th e Norman After th e new Museum opened in attended th e tribute in his honor, surrounded Rockwell Art Coll ec tion Trust, th e 1993, you rejoined the board of trustees, by family and fri end s. This was fo ll owed by a nucleus of our Muse um coll ec tion . awarded th e lifetime honor of trustee fun-filled famil y fes tival da y that included a For many years, your lovely wife Joan emeri tus. performance by Robin O'Herrin saluting maintained the Museum's books as HeIllY, you have been a loya l friend Ameri ca n musical traditions and a Four our bookkeeper and accoun tant, and and leader to th e orman Rockwell Freedoms panel discussion with veterans Ray you se rvcd as treasurer of th e board. Museum, a donor to our archive, a men­ Smith an d Raymond Blair, wr iter Richa rd In 1977 you adviscd a young coll ege tor and fri end to me. Today we salute Nunl ey, minister Beverl ee Ka lagher, and food student, Laurie Norton, to apply for a you, an d your fami ly, for your 30 years of pantry coordin ator Thatcher Kent. That summer job at th e Old Corner House, devotion and fri endship, with this bench eve ning, more than 300 members and gues ts not rea li zing you were guiding the made by arti st Toby Walton, and donated attended th e opening festi viti es for Freedom: Museum's future curator and director. to th e Museum in your hon or. No nnan Rockwell 's VemlOnt Years. - Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director

SUMME R 2003 11 Scenes from the Anlliver,5ar), Cala celebration. Clockwise from lOp left: 'Yfike and Wendy Coakley, Brian Quinn lllld William Perlow, Natalie Katz, Jacqueline and Albert Togut. Deborah Director Laurie Norton Moffatt's McMenamy, Lila Berle and Laurie Norioll Moffat. 25th Anniversary Gala Remarks June 13, 2003

Tonight's tribute to me is deeply museums as dusty, fusty old Margaret Batty and David Wood, clear assistant and friend Ann moving-and I am grateful to places!) What I discovered was were passionate about the Old Sterlin; to our incredible board all of you who made this cele­ extraordinary. The Norman Corner House and [ was intro­ ancl Board President Lee bration happen-but the reality Rockwell art on the walls was art duced to the Museum's founders: Williams, a group so passionate is that it is we together who have that my art history teachers did Norma Ogden, Pat Deely, Ros about the Museum that 1 am grown this Museum. Without not teach, or disdained if they Sherwood, Molly Rockwell and the envy of my professional col­ each of you here tonight, our did. People lined up around the our beloved Jane Fitzpatrick. 1 leagues; and to our members and tribute to Norman Rockwell, this block to see his paintings, and also want to warmly thank our supporters, who all believe in the magnificent Museum, would not the Museum was so vibrant and amazing staff, who rise to every importance of Norman Rockwell, be what it is today. inspiring that I was galvanized to occasion. this Museum, and in me. Just yesterday, Lee Williams redress what seemed so wrong Ilow does 25 years go by? We are not without our observed to me that there is a lot to me: art historians' and critics' A book, a building, a baby, a chall enges and growing pains, of serendipity connected to this disdain of Rockwell. From a place blockbuster. Always a new chal­ but I am always reminded that Museum. Opportunities present deep within myself, 1 set out to lenge. Never the same Museum, Norman Rockwell never had it themselves if we remain open legitimize orman Rockwell's and never the same job, always easy! Why should we? We will to them. That is how my work place in the art canon. changing and chall enging, always always have the gift of serendipity with the Museum has been, Like Rockwell, the Museum stimulating and gratifYing. and public affection if we remain one serendipitous opportunity has had its share of rebuffs and J close this wonderful evening open to it and set our sights on the after another. skeptics, but along the journey with a simple thank you to my horizon with the same positive One summer, back in 1977, 1 have had the privilege of part­ family, Craig, Leigh, and my outlook Witll which Norman while T was an art history student nering with people such as parents, who have stood by me, Rockwell approached life. at Williams College, Henry Lila Berle, David Klausmeyer, supported me and watched me Thank you all for this incred­ Williams told my mother about Bobbie Crosby, the amazing grow; to our staff, past and pres­ ibly special night-and here's to the Old Corner House, and T Deely family, and exceptional ent, who have given tirelessly of seeing Rockwell into the next appli ed for a part-time job, (Until staff like Maud Ayson, Maureen their enthusiasm and talent; to all century! Cheers to you all! then, J had wanted to be an Ilart Hennessey and Heather those who can not be present architect and had this image of Wells Heim, My early mentors, tonight, none more so than my

12 SUM ME R 2 00 3 Drawing Inspiration: Top Illustrators Describe Favorite Rockwell Paintings

By Jeremy Clowe

The first meeting of the Nonnan Rockwell Museum's KINUKO CRAFT Illustrators Advisory, a talented group composed of the "I've loved and respected Norman nation's leading artists in the illustration field, was held Rockwell's work all of my life. It's very diffi­ in January. The illustrators plan to meet annually at the cult to choose one favorite painting among Museum to discuss a variety of subjects relating to the art the huge body of his work, however there is and business of illustration, the Museum and its programs. one that I have always loved. The painting is We asked each illustrator on the council to tell us "what Breaking Home Ties, painted in 1954. It is your favorite Norman Rockwell painting and why?" beautifully displays the three different, and intense, feelings of a father, his son and their dog, as the son is about to leave for college. There is wonderful, youthful optimism and expecta­ STEVE BRODNER tion on the son's face. The father's complex emotions and sad "It's impossible to pick just one ... there's resignation to his son's departure is beautifully rendered. The just too much brilliance. There's the dog clearly knows his best friend and companion is about to amazing image of the girl walking to leave. Rockwell captured the subjects perfectly. Rendering school in Arkansas amidst the racists, the emotions was one of the things he did best and is perhaps why travelling grandmother and child sitting in he is so beloved by so many." a coffee shop, The Four Freedoms ... there's always, in his work, a showcasing of his great care for human­ TERESA F'ASOLINO ity. I-Ie observes the affairs of people as well as the nature of "My first favorite painting is The Problem people. We love him because his pictures show us, at least in We All Live With. If there was a list of the - .... - part, what we know to be true about ourselves." .' ., 'ten best' illustrations that have had an • impact on their times, I would include this JO[ IN BURGo) E painting. Once seen, never forgotten, it has "Well, it changes all the time, but the an emotional impact-especially for anyone who is old one I currently love is Aunt Ella Takes enough to have lived through the '60S. This image is the first a Trip. What I like about it is that it is magazine illustration I can remember, giving it a special slightly different from Rockwell's other place in my particular memory. My other favorite is Girl at paintings. He gets a little more painterly Mirror. With the simplicity of its composition, its dark back­ and abstract with the fields in the fore­ ground and use of reflection, the painting is steeped in the ground, the image of the town, and the 'Old Master' tradition that I love. The figure of the young girl face of the horse. He probably did this intentionally to draw in her white petticoat is beautifully rendered." attention to the faces of Aunt Ella and the young girl- their ..... ~ faces become much more powerful. The whole thing really FRANCES JETTER , strikes me as a beautiful design: the whip, the wheels, and "Saying Grace is my favorite Rockwell. t the harness on the horse create this great linear design that This painting beautifully captures discom­ , really works!" fort and tolerance. It's interesting that no

SUMMER 2003 13 one is idealized here-neither the locals, the man with the There is such a dichotomy here: one is a feminist, the cigar in the foreground, nor the old lady, whose pointed other is feminine. I like viewing these two paintings togetller. umbrella makes her seem less than gentle. The composition is When we are able to look at the whole body of culture, art­ wonderful; the way the child's neck is bent is so tender and work and events from a past period of time, we can clearly evocative. This picture is truly full of grace." make these kinds of comparisons."

WENDELL MINOR TIM O'BRIEN "Breaking Home Ties appeared on the "Of the many Rockwells I have stood in front of, none is as cover of the Saturday Evening Post in quintessentially Rockwell as The Art Critic. It has technical September of 1954 when I was 10 years old. virhlOsity combined with the Rockwell I remember loving the painting, and little pose and a visual trick, an element I have did I realize tllat I would be breaking my always been fond of. Other favorites are own "home ties" in a few years. The Murder in Mississippi and The Problem rancher and his son became tlle metaphor for my fatller, the We All Live With, but The Art Critic is factory worker, saying goodbye to his son (bound for art just fantastic. Picking a favorite Rockwell school) at a terminal gate of O'Hare Airport." • is like picking a favorite Beatles song. It depends on the mood, day of the week or state of the BARBARA ESSI t-I world ... the truth is, it can be SO many." "Basically I have two favorites: and Girl at Mirror. For me, these paintings clearly show the difference in C.r. PAY E how women's roles are perceived by our society. "Trying to pick a favorite Rockwell is nearly Rosie the Riveter could be one of the an impossible task. Each day a different first pioneering women in the new indus­ piece tugs at me for differing reasons: Tom trial society, taking over jobs traditionally Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence pulls at held by men in tlle factories. Her body my sentimental side, just as The Problem and body language are very masculine. I We All Live With reminds me of the social think you could put a man's head on her conscience we need to keep in our hearts. Then, of course, and think she was a man if you didn't see Freedom From Fear and The Art Critic simply overwhelm me her breasts, and items such as the hanky sticking out of her with Rockwell's monumental craftsmanship as a painter, pocket, and her expression, which is very feminine." designer and narrative artist. On tlle other hand, the younger subject in Girl at Mirror As I go through these images, plus countless more, I keep yearns to be notlling but glamorous. The painting was done coming back to a lone soldier painted in 1942, when the in the '50S, which was relatively more peaceful than the world was in real peril. Let's Give Him Enough and On Time World War II era when Rosie the Riveter was painted, and did not glorify war nor did it beat its chest with patriotism. illustrates how femininity came back to society to shape a Instead, it expressed the national sacrifice required to win whole new, glamorous era." that horrible war, World War II, right down to giving enough

4 SUMMER 200 3 support to an isolated soldier to survive an isolated battle. cannot be adequately duplicated in print, just as a print of The figure is faceless, tattered and torn, yet fights on. World a Rembrandt does not do justice to his work. To see original War II is arguably the most defining event of the 20th century. Norman Rockwell paintings has to be an inspiration for Never before was the idea of individual sacrifice in the battle any artist working today, for it certainly has always been an of good vs. evil put to such a worldwide test. This painting inspiration to me." speaks to that sacrifice and all the good behind it." ELWOOD SMITH MARC ROSENTIlAL "It's mighty hard to pick a single painting as a favorite from One of my favorites is The Runaway. I the many Norman Rockwell images lodged in my memory. particularly like seeing it displayed with I was born in 1941, and my parents sub­ an earlier sketch of the same image. It scribed to The Saturday Evening Post, so highlights, for me, Rockwell 's particular from the very beginning of my life, I was genius: the perfect sense of how to tell a absorbing his amazing take on America. story. There were, and are, many techni­ One of those images is his 1954 paint­ cally accomplished draftsmen, but Rockwell knew what to ing, Breaking Home Ties, and it strikes a put in and leave out of his compositions to achieve the pre­ particularly powerful chord in me. Seven cise and complex feelings he was after. In The Runaway, a years later, I was that 'green' kid waiting at the Greyhound bus runaway kid is seated on a diner stool next to a uniformed station in Alpena, . I was excited and terrified-a cop. In the sketch, the soda jerk beh ind the counter is a rube about to begin his new life as an artist in Chicago." fresh-faced young man. In the finished painting, Rockwell has changed him into a more world-weary, older man. The JEREMY CLOWE is a communications assistant at the Norman sympathetic attitude with which the two older men (the cop Rockwell Museum, and editorial assistant of the Portfolio. and the older, more cynical, soda jerk) regard the kid EDITOR'S NOTE: becomes all the more poignant and sweet." Look for more of the illustrator's favorites throughout this issue.

RUT!I SANDERSON One of my favorite Rockwell paintings is Girl at Mirror. It is a simple theme, that of Page 14: Cirl at Mirror. 'n,e Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, March 6, a young girl realizing that she is growing 1954. © 1954 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indi anapoli s, IN. Tire into a woman, but the design and execu­ Problem We All Live With . Look story illustration, January 14, 196+ l,icensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, iles, IL. Murder ill Missippi. 1965 tion are flawless. I had admired this picture Look illustration. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, ilcs, IL. in print before I saw the original, and when Page 15 : The Art Critic. The Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, April 16, I finally visited the Museum and saw it 1955· (f 1955 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. The up-close and personal, it was a jaw-dropper. The dense texture Runaway. The Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, September 20, 1958. © 1958 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapo lis, IN. Rosie the Riveter. and layering of colors he created to paint the white dress and The Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, l\lay 29,1943' © 1943 SEPS: the girl's flesh tones are so beautiful, so interesting, they Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indi anapolis, IN.

SUMMER 2003 15 the art of looking good www.nrm.org

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