Existing comment:
Norman Rockwell
Christmas Homecoming 1948
Painting for The Saturday Evening Post cover, December 25, 1948 Norman Rockwell Museum Collection
The desire to focus his artistic energy on painting the human part of the human condition was so strong, that to please his art editor who was now urging him to fill his canvases, Rockwell packs his picture plane with figures until the only remaining background is a foot or so of floor area. With the barest of clues that this is Christmas, Rockwell brings his readers a festive holiday scene purely through the smiles on everyone's faces and a few touches of bright red paint. The entire Rockwell family is in this cast. Son Peter (with eyeglasses) is in the left corner; son Tom is in the plaid shirt; Mary is hugging son Jarvis who has just arrived from school and Norman is to the right of them. In the upper left corner good friend and fellow Post illustrator Mead Schaeffer looks on, as does Grandma Moses. Behind Peter is Mead Schaeffer's daughter Patty and between Jarvis and Norman, his other daughter Lee. Mary Atherton, daughter of artist/illustrator Jack Atherton (another close friend and neighbor of Rockwell), waves from behind Mary Rockwell. |