The problem we all live with

The Problem we all live with

Norman Rockwell

Summary

1 - Biography of the author

2 - Description

3 - Historical context

4 - Personal interpretation

1-Biography of the author

Norman Rockwell is an American illustrator born in New York on February 3, 1894 - November 8, 1978 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He is a naturalist painter of the 20th century American life. He is famous for illustrating the covers of the magazine "Saturday Evening Post" (a popular American family newspaper with political and current affairs features as well as sports columns) In the 1950s, he was considered the most popular of American artists and painted portraits of Eisenhower, Kennedy and Nasser. He paints his Triple Self-portrait: the painter paints himself in the process of painting himself in looking in a mirror. Norman Rockwell was interested in drawing from a young age, so he never defined himself as a painter but as an illustrator. He is one of the artists who inspired hyperrealism (Hyperrealisem is whent the painting almost look like a photography). At the end of the 1960s, he worked for the magazine “Look” and tackle politics. His most famous illustration for Look is in fact the problem we all live with the painting that I represent for you today

Milestones

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2 - Description

Five characters are represented: four federal agents, the “Marshalls” and a black girl. The child catches the eye: - we can se her whole body but the federal agents we cannot see their faces - she is small, they are big, - she is black with a white dress contrasting with her skin color. -She is holding school supplies in her hand, we can see two notebooks, a ruler and two pencils so we can imagine that she is going to school. The girl is shown walking surrounded by four federal agents. The four federal agents wear a suit in dark colors (gray, brown) characteristic of the profession as well as a yellow armband with the inscription "DEPUTY U.S. MARSHALLS ”(US Federal Agents). They walk with a sure and determined step, at the same step as the little girl. This gives the painting a certain movement. The background is a wall with faded colors, yellowed, and cracked in some places. We can see the words : “NIGGER”, “KKK”. there is a crashed tomato which was probably throwed at the girl by someone. Norman ROCKWELL pays extreme attention to detail. His style has been called storytelling (narrative): every detail had a role in the narration of the scene. That's why I am gonna o give you a little bit of the historical context about this scene.

3 - Historical context

The picture was painted during the period of racial segregation in the United States.during this period white people recognize the fact that black people were also human beings like them but were not ready to share their daily life with them. There were schools for the blacks and schools for the whites, this was the case with other places of everyday life such as restaurants, benches,buses,laundry etc... and if this separation was not respected, those concerned were sent to prison. On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to enter a white elementary school in Louisiana (William Frantz Public School). With her arrival angry white people who opposed blacks entering the white school system, she needed police protection to get to school. Local and New Orleans officers refused to accompany her, so she was protected by federal marshalls. Angry parents removed their children from school, and teachers refused to teach in the presence of a black student. Only, Mrs Henry agreed to teach Ruby for a year as if she were doing it for an entire class. Faced with multiple threats of death, and even of poisoning, Ruby did not eat in the canteen, she was allowed to bring her own lunch. Someone even one day hung in front of the school a mini wooden coffin that contained a black doll

4 - Personal interpretation