Anonymous said...
Strange isn't it, that Rockwell never painted a black person (that I've seen), never used his art to protest the racial oppression enforced in his America by Christian organizations like the Ku Klux Klan?
Here's a few of Rockwell's finest, Anonymous, for your Independence Day enjoyment:
The Problem We All Live With
Norman Rockwell 1963. The young girl is Ruby Bridges, who integrated the New Orleans schools in 1960.
Negro In The Suburbs
Norman Rockwell 1967. An African American family moving into a white suburban neighborhood.
Norman Rockwell 1961.
Southern Justice
Normal Rockwell 1965. Rockwell painted this to honor the memory of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, the three civil rights workers who murdered in Mississippi.
Sometimes reality doesn't fit your America-hating far left meme, huh, Anonymous? Rockwell had great respect for the Civil RIghts Movement, which of course was a deeply Christian movement. To wit: Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, MLK's Letter from the Birmingham jail, which was a profound meditation on Aquinas' theology and moral philosophy. Succinctly, the Civil RIghts movement was run from black churches.
Dr. King in Nashville, Tennessee, December 27th, 1962:
"This idea of the dignity and worth of human personality is expressed eloquently and unequivocally in the Declaration of Independence. 'All men,' it says, 'are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' Never has a sociopolitical document proclaimed more profoundly and eloquently the sacredness of human personality."
What about the KKK? The KKK was the enforcement arm of the Democratic Party (what is your party affiliation, Anon?) for a century. They hated Catholic Republicans (e.g. me) only slightly less than they hated blacks. I don't know of any problems they had with atheists.
Happy Independence Day, Anon. Don't forget to thank our Creator for your freedom.
Ouch!
ReplyDeleteWell put, Dr. Egnor.
Sort of well put: while the movement was run black churches, it was resisted or ignored by white churches.
DeleteMyself being of a black mother and Cuban father,I also investigated whether or not Rockwell did black illustrations...and was glad to find he did. Anonymous should direct his anger in the proper direction and know all info before commenting. He or she just made a fool of themselves...
ReplyDeleteAs far as the lefty comment from the site owner... seems to me you ought to review the things you do. I'm a Christian,not Catholic. God says you should not worship idols..do you pray to a statue of Mary and saints? There shall be no other Gods before me...do you not "hail" Mary? I don't have to send my prayers to God with a saint, I can talk to him one on one with my own mouth. I am Democrat,but I do not endorse same sex marriage at all in any way,it is an abomination. Look at yourself before you're so quick to call out lefty...if you're so right then why do you break at least 2 commandments..btw,macabees, whatever that is,isn't in my Bible. I never even heard if it until mistakingly receiving a Catholic Bible in the mail..I quickly left it on the steps of the nearest Catholic Church...
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter what religion you or anyone else practices. Treating others with dignity, respect and the way we want to be treated, is the only way to go. We don't have to agree on anything to be kind to one another.
DeleteFYI Christianity may have played a role in abolishing slavery, however, Christianity played a pivotal role in justifying slavery beforehand so....double edged sword.
ReplyDeleteTruth, and the same is true for racial problems today.
DeleteAnonymous said... Strange isn't it, that Rockwell never painted a black person (that I've seen), never used his art to protest the racial oppression enforced in his America by Christian organizations like the Ku Klux Klan?
ReplyDeletethe key is in parenthesis (that I've seen)
I note that Norman Rockwell was born in 1894 and was a New Englander. So in 1960, he was 66 years old. Once the Civil Rights movement got going, he started doing illustrations that reflected what was going on, and his depictions of certain events or even imaginary scenes involving black Americans often weren't flattering to white Americans. Ultimately, I think, the man was decent and had a commitment to justice, and even in older age could take in and acknowledge situations he might not have been aware of in his younger years. I saw him interviewed in the 1970s on "The Dick Cavett Show" (which was on ABC opposite "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson"). One thing that came out during that interview is that Rockwell wanted his people to look like ordinary folks, people you might run into in life, and he didn't typically use beautiful women and handsome men in his illustrations. In fact, he recruited people who lived in Stockbridge, Massachusetts where his home and studio was, and they loved sitting for him, because they were proud of the fact that he was part of their community. I'm sure they didn't mind showing off the magazine covers in which they appeared. I note the painting "The Problem We All Live With" depicting six-year-old Ruby Bridges, the first black student to enter a previously all-white public elementary school in New Orleans as part of desegregation mandated by the courts. Due to threats on her life, she had to be escorted to and from school by deputy U.S. Marshals, which is what Rockwell depicts. The dignity of that little girl and the hatred directed toward her are both contained in the painting which, with relative simplicity, tells you the story and I believe that no one but Rockwell could have illustrated so much so well. (The illustration appeared in "Look" magazine nationally and at a glance spoke volumes and still does, at least to me.)
ReplyDeleteYou're a master of English, I can tell. The information enters my brain like cream flowing into strawberries.
ReplyDeleteThe well-worn phrase A Picture Is Worth A Thousand words applies 100% to Rockwell. His 'The Problem We All Live With' painting makes me want to love that little girl forever and defend her to the ends of the earth.
I just came from viewing an exhibit of Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers in Ocala, accompanied by one of his many models (she's 82 now). I learned that the Post had prohibited him from presenting African Americans in his covers except as servants of some kind. A fascinating book to read is "Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell's America" by Jane Allen Petrick. It documents the inclusion of people of color (often hidden) in his paintings as a way if bucking the sytem.
ReplyDeleteI love how people want to vilify the last or complain about such ignorance. You know it's ignorant these comments. I am an extremely well-read American both religious philosophical and playing literature. I am also very familiar with much art especially by American artists. I was totally unaware that there were any portraits by Rockwell of black people and I think it is the lack of attention these paintings and works like it have gotten from White teachers who have an agenda that is not from the left is the problem think about that before you blast back with another ignorant retort at somebody who is raised by white supremacists
ReplyDeleteI was always inspired by his work. I think it's all fantastic I love his style to this day . I consider him masterful in his works.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for you to take on another hobby besides blogging. Clearly, either you're lacking knowledge, or you're not well. You're just spreading bile. Other than that, I wish you well, and hope you feel better, God bless. P.S: The bible is a great place to start for healing.
ReplyDelete