It documents a country which was lost long ago.
Which, of course, is exactly why the critics hated his work.
Now that the country they hated is disappearing, they can look at that work with less contemptuous eyes. A memorial of the past is always easier to endure than a living reality.
“It documents a country which was lost long ago.”
_____________________________________________________
Rockwell’s, as well as OUR America has “Gone With the Wind”.
God only knows if we will ever get it back.
“It documents a country which was lost long ago.”
Lost? Nope. Murdered.
Speaking as an artist myself, I would like to add a bit to the “Illustration vs Fine Art” discussion.
Illustration done well is a wonderful expression of art. Good illustrators are often more successful financially than are fine artists. Here is the difference as I see it. Illustrations are designed to tell a story. The story should be quickly understandable and easy to see. It should be evocative - eliciting emotions such as nostalgia, sentimentality etc…
A work of fine art should also be evocative, but the story should be a bit more hard to read. For instance, in your mind picture two famous paintings… “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper and the Norman Rockwell painting of the boy going off to college sitting with his dad and the family dog. The Rockwell painting is beautiful and tells a quickly readable story. We love the nostalgic feelings it brings forth. The Hopper painting, on the other hand, is more mysterious and timeless. It elicits a different feeling that perhaps changes over time as we mature.