Norman Rockwell's life, talent, and creative techniques enriched three quarters of a century of art by portraying the life and times of America. Throughout the artist's numerous styles, he still painted America's dreams, values, historical, social, and political issues. Devoting over seventy-five years to his craft he "chronicled both the everyday moments and the extraordinary events of his era" as well as illuminating millions of American lives (Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People). Norman Rockwell, through the changing times of the twentieth century, has left us a legacy of ourselves.
As an admirer, I feel I have experience those times through his works. For several years, I collected Rockwell plates, images, and books. As a fan, I was inspired to write a poem. In high school, my senior project was Norman Rockwell. I wrote a report about his life and techniques as an illustrator. My project was to take my first ever art lessons and create an image in his style with the medium of colored pencil. After the project, I decided to have a career with in the art world. Through research, I discovered the major of Graphic Design. Currently, I have spent three years at De Anza Community College preparing for my major. From my immediate family, I'm the first to have graduated from a college. In January 2004, I'm transferring to San Jose State University to continue my education in the arts and communication.
Rockwell believed an artist should step into the painting and live within. For me, each of his illustrations became a story in which I would imagine my own beginning and conclusion. One image that strikes my fancy is Girl At Mirror (1954). A young girl sits on a box with a movie star magazine opened on her lap. She is seen gazing at her-self through an antique mirror with the look of, "Will I'll be like her someday?" As a female child, I thought that way too. By being able to connect with the picture through my own experiences, there is a form of day dreaming. Over time, I have felt comfortable with who I am as a person, as a female, as a daughter, and as a grandchild. Many times, I just do my own thing and do not worry how other's may perceive me. Basically, Norman Rockwell's paintings shaped my self-concept and how I view the world around me. His illustrations show a range of compassion, through a child-like view, from amusement to downheartedness. Nostalgic images and melancholy memories are captured in his paintings. Norman Rockwell admitted, "I just painted life the way I would like it to be. Maybe I unconsciously decided that, even if it wasn't an ideal world, it should be..." (Norman Rockwell: An American Portrait). In Rockwell's vision, there is a preferred place to live. Somewhere that takes an aspect of reality and turns the negative into a positive light. In my mind, when times are harsh there must be a happier moment just around the next corner. A sense of harmony and optimism is what Norman Rockwell brought into my life through his portrayals of America. Perhaps this dream world, filled with laughter, and delight, as well as, tenderness, and emotion, is what many as well as myself want in their own hearts.