belatedly i sing your praises... and "happy birthday"

Yesterday was Norman Rockwell's birthday - or would have been if he were still alive. Good thing he isn't because that would make him 116 and really, who wants to live that long?

As an illustrator-type, I feel that need to do a shout out. I don't know a ton about his life but I know he went through some trials (3 marriages, you can look it up). He managed to be a prolific artist despite it and I think his images were really important and comforting to people.

I used to shrug him off as a youngster-artist but over the years I've gained a lot of respect for him. It just took me a long time to get around the massive pile of cultural debate and start to really look at his art. I'm glad I did. It's touching in all those ways that you not supposed to admit to being touched if you want to be cool. He had a lot of cool concepts (can we call it "a gentle wit" instead of "idealized view of small town, American life"?) and the patience to be a technical master.

There are a few kitschy Rockwellian things around my house. My toothbrush-cup is a strong favourite... those kids just crack me up every time I participate in oral hygiene.

Being one who is fond of the tattoos, I really love this Saturday Evening Post cover from 1944. I've often wondered whether Wes Anderson got the Deep Search/Jacqueline gag in The Life Aquatic from this image. (Jacqueline is crudely crossed out with Deep Search written below... come to think of it, the main character also has a tattoo of that!)

I'm pointing to a small star on the sailor's elbow because someday I intend to get a matching one (it's gonna be like earning my "Illustrator Badge").

So. I don't really know why I just dedicated half an hour to babbling about a dead illustrator. It's not like I had any scholarly research or new insights. Maybe I just wanted to jump on the dead-artist-celebration-band-wagon but since Catcher In the Rye never did much for me, Rockwell is a more appropriate outlet...

Anyway... To Norman Rockwell. He died the same year I was born and yesterday he would have been really old.

And. He rocked... Well!