Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell!

http://www.nrm.org/

Some of you might be surprised to hear that I really love Rockwell illustrations - well, it's true. Yes, some of them are corny to the point of being physically painful, but I would go so far as to say that an appreciation of Rockwell is essential to understanding mid 20th century America. In some ways his art is parallel with my boy Bruce Springsteen. The romanticization of everyday events is central to both. His art may not illustrate the way my parents' generation WAS, but it certainly illustrates to a great degree how they viewed themselves. More than a couple of his paintings I can readily identify with stories my folks told me of growing up. He also did a few of returning soldiers that I consider to be brilliant. There's one of a soldier who has clearly just returned from war, sitting in the kitchen with his mother quietly peeling potatoes that is almost religious in its affect. I can hear some of you snorting with derision, so I'll stop now, but I really do think this guy conveys the sense of his times so well.