Morris Shapiro, director of Park West Gallery posted a really interesting and insightful blog post about the current Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Art. This is his response to a less than favorable review of the show by a critic (What a shocker. An art critic that doesn't like Rockwell.)
http://parkwestgallery.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/experiencing-rockwell
I give a hearty amen to Mr. Shapiro.
4 comments:
Kudos to Shapiro for defending and actually eloquently defining why I and so many others love and will always love Rockwell.
We're glad you enjoyed our Rockwell posting - thank you for the kind words!
I'm not sure if my initial comment took or not, so I want to share this as I feel very strongly about it.
First, thank you Tracey for sharing this with us. I'm just dumbfounded that some people do not view Rockwell as an artist, a great artist in fact.
This was certainly an eye opener for me and I hope that someday I will be fortunate enough to see Rockwell's work in person.
Excellent article. I never did understand the need to draw such a sharp-edged distinction between fine art and illustration. Fine art can illustrate (and is often employed to sell a product), and great illustration can elevate us, make us think, and move us in ways that some "fine art" doesn't. Poor Rockwell was a victim of the often elitist modern art world. My grandmother used to work in a gallery, and her lip would curl when someone said Rockwell's name. I used to spend hours as a kid studying his work (and N.C. Wyeth's) along with the abstract expressionists, the renaissance masters, Audobon, impressionists, fauves, etc. etc.
To me it was all fascinating and great art.
do you think we'll ever answer the what is art question?
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