Norman Rockwell's America, Dulwich Picture Gallery | reviews, news & interviews
Norman Rockwell's America, Dulwich Picture Gallery
Norman Rockwell's America, Dulwich Picture Gallery
There's schmaltz, there's kitsch but there's also something wonderful about Norman
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/442f4bdcef68f28f8c156fba36469dbe.jpg?itok=KYc1cdeD)
Norman Rockwell’s America. What did it look like? At the height of Rockwell’s incredible fame as an illustrator, you might say it looked a lot like a movie still. Think of the films of Frank Capra, for instance: heartwarming scenes of family life shot through with poignancy as well as humour. This vision came with an instinctive appreciation that the most precious things we have in life are also the most transient and fragile. It’s a vision that clearly comes with a sense of empathy for the common man, an empathy that elevates his American everyman into the heroic figure of home and hearth.
Norman Rockwell’s America. What did it look like? At the height of Rockwell’s incredible fame as an illustrator, you might say it looked a lot like a movie still. Think of the films of Frank Capra, for instance: heartwarming scenes of family life shot through with poignancy as well as humour. This vision came with an instinctive appreciation that the most precious things we have in life are also the most transient and fragile. It’s a vision that clearly comes with a sense of empathy for the common man, an empathy that elevates his American everyman into the heroic figure of home and hearth.
Share this article
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Visual arts
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Screenshot%202024-10-30%20at%2017-39-09%20theartsdesk.com%20%28%40the_arts_desk%29%20%E2%80%A2%20Instagram%20photos%20and%20videos.png?itok=W02US5i5)
!['Untitled (No Comment)' 2020 by Barbara Kruger](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Kruger%20cat%202_0.jpg?itok=yeMkISnK)
![AARON #1 Drawing, 1979 by Harold Cohen. Tate, Purchased 2015](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Electric%20Dreams%20Harold%20Cohen%2C%20AARON%20%231%20Drawing%2C%201979.%20Tate.%20Purchased%202015.%20%C2%A9%20Harold%20Cohen.%20Photo%20courtesy%20of%20Harold%20Cohen%20Trust.jpg?itok=wxIVqYGb)
![Laurie Anderson serenades the rockets taking off into the stratosphere](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Ark%20%20clouds%20%28CREDIT%20DUNCAN%20ELLIOT%29.jpg?itok=IceB0-fQ)
![Corpo Coletivo (collective body) 1974 by Lygia Clark. Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, 1986.](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Lygia%20Clark%20%20Corpo%20Coletivo%20%28colective%20body%29%201974.jpg?itok=FHh-bQyz)
![Ahh...Youth!, 1991 by Mike Kelley](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Mike%20Kelley%2C%20Ahh...Youth%21%201991.jpg?itok=MwzWjYgA)
![Waterloo Bridge, Overcast, 1903 by Claude Monet, oil on canvas](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Claude%20Monet%20%281840-1926%29%2C%20Waterloo%20Bridge%2C%20Overcast%2C%201903%2C%20oil%20on%20canvas%2C%20Ordrupgaard%2C%20Denmark.%20Photo%20Anders%20Sune%20Berg%20.jpg?itok=ntnY_MUy)
![Common History: Conference, 1999 by Michael Craig-Martin. Acrylic on aluminium, 274.3 x 508 cm.](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Craig-Martin%20office.jpg?itok=tFfDg8dK)
![Olive trees with the Alpilles in the Background, 1889 by Vincent Van Gogh](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Van%20Gogh%20olive%20trees.jpg?itok=XHImVKMa)
!['Thatcher Unmasked', 1986 by Peter Kennard](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Peter%20Kennard_Thatcher%20Unmasked_1986.jpg?itok=5l9AxAqi)
!['Ineligible for Death', 2024 by Dominique White, Max Mara Art Prize for Women 2022-24](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Dominique%20White_ineligible%20for%20death_2024.jpg?itok=Or8wdFI-)
Add comment