A Birmingham art museum. I was younger. I had driven four hours to get here. I was wearing my nice clothes. And I was very excited. This was one of the high points of my life.
I had money in my pocket and a ticket stub for the exhibit.
I’ve never been what you’d call an “art-exhibit guy.” People in big cities probably go to exhibits all the time. But the only art I ever knew were the drawings on the boys restroom wall drawn by Bobby Carmichael. And those weren’t exactly pictures of the apostles.
I was giddy in that museum lobby. The whole day took on a dreamlike quality.
“Pinch me,” I said to the elderly woman ahead of me in line.
The woman laughed. She was leaning on a walker. She was from Massachusetts.
“When he died,” she said. “They made his studio into a museum. It’s not far from my house. Toured it once. If you ever go to Massachusetts, you should see it.”
“Maybe one day,” I said.
This was the first and only art exhibition I had ever attended. And to me, it wasn’t just an exhibit. This was seeing an old friend.
Throughout my lifetime I had spent a lot of time admiring his paintings, which once graced the covers of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
And as silly as it sounds, this artist got me through some hard times.
“My husband met him once,” the old woman went on. “Said he was a real nice man.”
Our single-file line was hedged with velvet ropes. I was wearing my fancy jeans. My hair had just been cut by a classy barber in Mountainbrook who charged me thirty bucks. It was highway robbery.
But it’s not every day you go to an art exhibit. I was really putting on the dog.
A museum employee unlatched the velvet rope. People emptied into the gallery. Each wall was adorned with gold-leaf framed canvases. It was euphoria.
The first painting I saw was of a soldier. World War II. Smudged face. He was seated on the ground, cigarette in his mouth. He looked battle worn. And my breath caught in my throat.
I had to sit on a bench to dab my eyes. I don’t know why. Probably because I’m a sentimental fool.
Or maybe it was because when I was a child, someone in my neighborhood was throwing out three boxes of “Saturday Evening Post” magazines. I found the cardboard boxes on the curb. Each magazine cover was one of his paintings. They were the most beautiful images I ever saw.
So I took them home. I spent an afternoon with a pair of scissors, clipping covers from magazines. I tacked the pictures to my bedroom walls. Then I clipped more paintings out of a compilation book of his work.
My room was soon plastered with the ratty pages of antique periodicals. My mother was thrilled.
And on the day my father died, I locked myself in that same bedroom and stared at these paintings until I fell asleep.
There was the painting of the woman and her boy, praying over their food in a crowded Depression-era restaurant.
The painting of two teenagers in a little diner, It’s titled “After the Prom.” It shows a boy and girl. He wears a tux. She wears a formal dress. They are so skinny.
A brown-haired GI who looks like a young version of my grandfather, peeling potatoes with his mother.
In 1916 the young artist sold his first magazine cover to the “Post” when he was just 22. World War I was on. Germany had begun attacking ships in the Atlantic. A Spanish influenza pandemic was on the near horizon.
And he was painting pictures.
He went on to illustrate 322 covers for the “Post,” over a period of 47 years. Each work was a masterstroke painted on canvases he primed with cheap Benjamin Moore housepaint. And each work arrests your attention.
He was commissioned to paint the portraits of Presidents Eisenhower, Johnson, Kennedy, and Nixon. And after a long career spanning four wars, and the most turbulent time in history, he once told someone, “I paint life as I would like it to be.”
That’s how I felt sitting on that museum bench. His paintings showed the world as I wanted it to be. A pretty place, with good people, and lots of heart.
The old woman with the walker sat beside me. We were together in silence for a long time, admiring the view.
If he had lived today, chances are nobody would have noticed him. His work would have been laughed at. It would have been too quaint for critics. Too charming. Not enough gore.
But I admire him. Not just for his steady hand and attention to detail. But because he had a second pair of eyes. He could look beneath daily life and see things others missed.
When others saw America, browbeaten by war, breadlines, Great Depressions, dust storms, politicians, and the greed of industrialism, he only saw her beauty. And he painted her that way. In the midst of hell, somehow, he illustrated kindness, childhood, and the simplicity of love.
A kid at the vet’s office.
A young man singing to his hound.
A blue-collar man, seeing his son off to college.
A beautiful black girl walking to school, accompanied by four U.S. Marshals.
A hopeless young redhead, trying so hard to play a trumpet.
The old woman patted my shoulder and said, “He sure was good, wasn’t he?”
He was better than good. He was Norman Rockwell.
And I wish we had more like him.
88 comments
Estelle - July 12, 2020 7:24 am
In my minds eye I could see every one of those magazine covers. I too would like people to be like he drew. They showed kindness, compassion, laughter and love. The world sure could use that today.
Deborah Blount - July 12, 2020 7:33 am
So do I. Enough said. I need to finish this good cry.
Dean - July 12, 2020 8:26 am
If our world was now as he saw it then would be wonderful. Sadly it will never be that way again
Dirty Pirate Hooker - July 12, 2020 10:11 am
I too grew up with Norman Rockwell. My Mom was an artist, one who painted the beauty in every day life. She had these great big hardback books filled with images of his paintings. He depicted the every day beauty of Americana that so many miss in their rush to the next thing. I used to sit for hours on the floor of Mama’s studio, cross legged, bathed in sunlight, with one of those huge books in my lap going through each page slowly, tracing the outlines of people’s faces and wondering if they really existed. It was time spent with both my Mom and Mr. Rockwell, learning about the goodness in life. Now, many years after Mom’s passing, I still have those books and they still bring me pleasure.
Tim Smith - July 12, 2020 10:41 am
The world as I wish it were. The very definition of hope. Thank you.
Dana - July 12, 2020 10:57 am
The little black girl walking to school with the four marshals is forever in my memory. I was the same age, but a little white girl. It had a huge impact on my life in so many ways and continues to do so to this day. Thank you for this, Sean.
Jean - July 12, 2020 11:09 am
Amen!
Gerald Hudson - July 12, 2020 11:16 am
Amen
Jonathan Machen - July 12, 2020 11:31 am
I Have always loved his work too, but you probably guessed that. Found it very interesting and revealing to read about his process.
Marilyn - July 12, 2020 11:33 am
Norman Rockwell painted great pictures on canvas, and you paint those pictures with words, Sean. Thank you for the beautiful tribute this morning.
Jo Ann - July 12, 2020 12:02 pm
I’ll add my “me, too” that I enjoyed his work. All the ones you mentioned, I can remember, & picture them in my memory. A slice of life at that time.
Donna - July 12, 2020 12:07 pm
My favorite artist as well. I did a college research paper on him back when we had to type out papers on a typewriter! I still have that paper to this day.
Maggie Kruger - July 12, 2020 12:12 pm
We need his work now more than ever
Teresa - July 12, 2020 12:23 pm
I went to his museum in Massachusetts. It is fantastic. Cried looking at some of the paintings. His work touched so many of us! Thanks for this lovely article!
Teresa
Nan Williams - July 12, 2020 12:25 pm
You are the quintessential “Norman Rockwell” of the written word. You paint my world with words as he painted my world with pictures. Thank you.
Winona Clark-Colvard - July 12, 2020 12:28 pm
I think this is my favorite of your recent posts! I was an art teacher for many years. Grew up on Norman’s Saturday Evening Post covers. If memory serves me correctly, Norman passed away when I was an art student at Huntingdon College in the’60’s. I was horrified to realize that most of my high school art students had never heard of Norman Rockwell! So sorry that I missed the Birmingham exhibit, and delighted (but not surprised) that you are an avid fan!!!! I am also an avid fan of yours. I got to see you last September at Pintlala Baptist Church, as well as at Robinson Springs Methodist Church a couple of years ago. Hope that all is well with you and yours and that you’ll soon be “On the Road Again”! All good wishes!
mikedillenb - July 12, 2020 12:34 pm
If he’d been there, I’m sure he’d have painted you and that little old lady on the bench.
gary jensen - July 12, 2020 12:38 pm
Amen! on the Norman Rockwell appreciation… beautifully rendered (his on canvas, yours in writing) and perfect timing too. Thank you and keep em comin’…
Ann - July 12, 2020 12:39 pm
I can’t stop smiling and feeling peaceful ……this one is beautiful and sooooo visual, so much today is missing but you keep us appreciating….
Kristina Nilsson - July 12, 2020 12:41 pm
Oh, this is such a beautiful paean to a genius who made us all better than we were. You must go to the museum in Stockbridge. It’s small and sweet. I learned that several of the models for his paintings still return to view his pictures (not only the ones featuring them!) and to commune with the indelible remnants of this big-hearted painter. And your writing follows in his footsteps. Every one of your posts makes my heart sing, but this one even more than your others.
Pat Nichols - July 12, 2020 12:44 pm
In my house, three Rockwell prints hang. There was a forth one, when I was growing up, but I have yet to find one like it. They depicted Henry Ford as a child up through the invention of his Model T. Those pictures saved my childhood. My dad was an alcoholic through my early childhood. When things were rough, my two sisters and I would make up stories about the people in the prints. There was so much detail in each one, we could always find another chapter to the story. To this day, just looking at those pictures makes me feel calm and happy. Not worth much to anyone else, but there is no price that can describe their value for me. Thank you Sean!
Connie - July 12, 2020 12:48 pm
I love this. Norman Rockwell used a paintbrush to find beauty in every day life. You use words. The world needs more of you both. Love and hugs.
Dave Wilson - July 12, 2020 12:52 pm
Brings smiles and tears to my eyes.
Karen - July 12, 2020 12:54 pm
The Norman Rockwell museum is a comfortable drive from my house in Connecticut to take a day trip, see beautiful scenery and visit his workshop. Reminds me that I haven’t been in a while.
Noah Funderburg - July 12, 2020 12:59 pm
My wife and I traveled from Tuscaloosa to Atlanta years ago to see a Norman Rockwell exhibition at the High Museum. We both loved and admired his works. Seeing them close up was like seeing an old friend again. Norman did find the beauty in difficult situations, and he provided many people with hope and pride. We certainly could use more of that today.
Curtis Lee Zeitelhack - July 12, 2020 1:05 pm
I’m with you and that old woman from Massachusetts
Susan A. Royal - July 12, 2020 1:14 pm
A fitting tribute for a man who allowed us all to take a closer look at ourselves.
Nancy Wright - July 12, 2020 1:25 pm
I’ve been a fan since childhood. He was, and still is, simply the best!
Phil S. - July 12, 2020 1:27 pm
How right you are, Sean! We need him so badly. When I began reading your message I knew who you were writing about, but had to think for a moment to remember his name, and I was ashamed for that; and then it came to me, and I was relieved. From my childhood on, every time I would see one of his paintings I would feel goosebumpy joyful. So glad you thought to remind us of this great human being who used his God-given talent to express his love of Americana for so much good. Sometimes I think I may croak one day from an acute case of nostalgia brought on by your blogs, but then I smile and say to myself, “What a way to go!”
Vicky Murphy - July 12, 2020 1:42 pm
Just viewing Norman Rockwell’s paintings was a momentary escape from reality. Thank you, Mr. Rockwell.
Helen Taylor Andrews - July 12, 2020 1:46 pm
You are like Norman Rockwell because you paint with your words. Your words put you in magazines and more, standing in front of hundreds of folks who pay to hear you talk, again, your words paint your stories…..
Love and miss you and Jamie!
Bkr - July 12, 2020 1:47 pm
You might think I am just making this up but the very first
Time I read one of your blogs I thought “This guy reminds me of Norman Rockwell but a writer not a painter”. Same style same good feelings evokes from your art. Simple ye eloquent. I like you a lot.
Judy Cobern - July 12, 2020 1:49 pm
I’ll make this short & sweet since my eyes are filled with tears… one of your Best, Sean!
Maria Linkhart - July 12, 2020 1:51 pm
Sean
He was an amazing human being, an artist, and left this world a much better place. You are the modern day Rockwell to many of us that still want to see the world that way. Your art are the words you write that paint a picture for us every day. Thank you for bringing your art form to our world, you make it a much better place.
Kay Morgenthaler - July 12, 2020 1:52 pm
I too felt like I was sitting on the bench with you. What a gift you have with words. I also know you are an artist! I own two of your small painting on canvas that I bought in Destin years ago. I love them both. Thank you and God bless
Tracey - July 12, 2020 2:00 pm
I feel like you do the same thing with your words that Norman Rockwell did with his paintings. Reading your words each day reminds me to look for the beauty that still exists in the world if we’re mindful to look for it. Your post always renews my hope, which is so needed and appreciated these days. Thank you for your work in sharing your gift with the world.
Norman - July 12, 2020 2:17 pm
A great article about one of my favorite artists. A true master at painting scenes of American life across a wide spectrum. He made the Saturday Evening Post a must have subscription across the Nation. When we lived in New England one of the first places we visited was his museum in Stockbridge Mass.
I was proud to share names with him!
Norman Hitchcock
Robert M Brenner - July 12, 2020 2:25 pm
Amen to Norman Rockwell! What an artist, I loved looking at his paintings! Thanks Sean for making an old man’s day… ❤️ 🎨
Marge - July 12, 2020 2:27 pm
Dear Sean, You are today’s Norman Rockwell. You give us daily pictures, in print form, to help us all remember the good days and continue to pray for more of them! I remember all of his paintings and look forward, each and every day, to reading yours❤️
Betty - July 12, 2020 2:34 pm
Sean- I see see YOU as the Norman Rockwell of words, uncovering the good, framing the hard stuff softly and helping us remember to have hope. Thanks.
Shirley - July 12, 2020 2:37 pm
Sean, one of the best things to come from the Covid is that the isolation has made you even a better writer than you already were. Reading my Bible and you every morning give my days a fresh and hope-filled start!
I often look at the photo of a lanky redhead with his arm around me in front of Page&Palette in Fairhope Al. Puts a smile on my face every time! Thank you for sharing your talents with a hurting world.
Retired Ol' Geezer - July 12, 2020 3:25 pm
Totally agree with everything you’ve said, Sean. Yet, believe it or not, I can recall that the “Art Nazis”, as I call them, looked down their noses and ridiculed his work even “back then”. I think that Norman Rockwell is one of the greats. Thanks for yet another wonderful column.
Pilgrim - July 12, 2020 3:28 pm
Amen!
Nancy M - July 12, 2020 3:33 pm
We went to that exhibit in Birmingham! When was it? We used to live there. We may have traveled from Daphne to see it. I love Norman Rockwell’s work. There was a time that he was not highly valued by critics for being too “commercial,” but he is very highly regarded now. Justly does, I think.
Birmingham Museum of Art has had a lot of good exhibits. I especially remember Monet, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Chinese exhibit with the terra cotta soldiers.
hodnad - July 12, 2020 3:42 pm
He was one of a kind. I remember seeing the cover of the Post and being mesmerized. He painted America as we wanted to be. Thank you for the article that so eloquently describe how Norman Rockwall made us feel.
Nancy M - July 12, 2020 3:43 pm
Justly so, not justly does.
Jenny Young - July 12, 2020 3:53 pm
Sean, you do with words what he did with paint.
You say “When others saw America, browbeaten by war, breadlines, Great Depressions, dust storms, politicians, and the greed of industrialism, he only saw her beauty.” I think he looked past America even to people. It was the people he saw…he didn’t overlook anyone & neither do you. That’s the real beauty around us.
Thanks so much for showing us real people.
Char - July 12, 2020 3:58 pm
This is the perfect time for the works of Norman Rockwell’s to be seen by young and old alike; when we all have time to reflect on his beautiful work, when we need a piece of Americana of old.
All of the comments are wonderful tributes to Norman Rockwell and to you Sean. We all thank you for your “paintings in words” just as we are thankful for Norman Rockwell’s paintings of life in America as he saw it. Both make us feel better.
Char
BJean - July 12, 2020 4:01 pm
I think you see those pieces of life also. You just paint them with words.
Linda Moon - July 12, 2020 4:04 pm
That artist. That magazine. I would have stared at Norman Rockwell’s art when my father died if they were plastered to my walls. You, Sean Dietrich, often write LIFE as you might want it to be. You have that second pair of eyes, too. We….your readers….have you to paint word pictures for the things we might otherwise miss. You are better than good, too.
Janet Mackenzie - July 12, 2020 4:05 pm
I get so many emails that i have several times opened yours intending to unsubscribe. Then I read your essay and it is so good, so meaningful I can’t let go so I delete that email and wait for the next one.
Tommy Henkins - July 12, 2020 4:10 pm
Rockwell… a special kind of artist. I also have many of those Saturday evening Posts.
Susan Winnop - July 12, 2020 4:36 pm
Terrific writing about a terrific artist!! Thank you for refreshing our memories of those whimsical and warm pictures!!
Nancy Friel Huey dau Lt Col WE Friel - July 12, 2020 4:45 pm
Have thought during this, what happened to that world. I have been told, man in prom picture, former soldier, look closely at everything he has on, there, because he and our country’s finest saved us. This could not have happened without them..🇺🇸
Thomas Hammett - July 12, 2020 5:02 pm
Sean,
We still do have artists with Rockwell’s talent and vision. Their work just isn’t found in big galleries or in major magazines. It’s seen in small local galleries and fairs, and in local art guilds. Not all of it is great, but enough of it is to let you know that good art hasn’t disappeared. The really amazing thing is that Rockwell’s art was recognized as good while he was still alive, and able to reap some rewards from it.
Tom - July 12, 2020 5:11 pm
Great artist- great blog. Sean, you are a good writer.
Amy Crews - July 12, 2020 5:24 pm
I grew up “on Rockwell” too. We did his puzzles all the time. What a great way to study a painting. Matt and I saw the traveling exhibit in Arizona…and I wept almost as soon as it began. In my headphones, the narrator said he didn’t consider himself an artist. Some thought him “only” and illustrator. That broke my heart for him. I was challenged in a similar way in art school. Mayberry and Rockwell…seem like they go together too don’t they?
Carolyn - July 12, 2020 5:33 pm
Yes, I like that definition of hope. CC
Candy Clark - July 12, 2020 5:35 pm
Sean, you are him, except with words! Why I look forward to reading your posts everyday! You remind us that there is still much beauty in the world amidst the chaos! Thank You 🙂
MAM - July 12, 2020 6:18 pm
I so fondly remember the Saturday Evening Post covers by Norman Rockwell. My mom always saved the magazines, and I would sit on the back porch and read them and always admire Rockwell’s paintings, even if they were considered “just illustrations.” He was a very talent man, and you voiced it very well by saying he saw the beauty behind every story his paintings told. Thanks, Sean!
Barbara Barnes - July 12, 2020 6:24 pm
My dad loved the Saturday Evening Post. Remember him sitting down to read it as soon as it was delivered to our house in the 50’s. I hope that when this pandemic is over you and your wife will drive to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to his museum near where he lived and worked. Our family went there at Christmas in 2012. Take care, Sean.
Ann - July 12, 2020 7:19 pm
I have a book “Norman Rockwell’s Faith of America” that is illustrated by Mr. Rockwell and text by Fred Bauer. It is wonderful and I look at it often. Got it out this morning just to feel good about being alive today and I am thanking God for the artistry of Norman Rockwell and Sean Dietrich. Thank you, Sean, for this story. It and you make me happy.
Mary M Berryman - July 12, 2020 7:42 pm
Dear Sean, Thank you for this. We sure need people to see the beauty in America and the inner beauty in all Americans.
jstephenw - July 12, 2020 8:25 pm
Great piece Sean. You also have a “second set of eyes” my friend. Thank you. Hey to Jamie.
Cynthia Woods - July 12, 2020 9:16 pm
You are cut from the same piece of cloth, Sean. Wish there were more like both of you. Glad you had this day among his wonderful, comforting art. ♥️
Dru Brown - July 12, 2020 10:28 pm
I love his work, too. Guess there isn’t much more to say except that I admire your taste.
Karen Hughes - July 12, 2020 11:02 pm
I agree… with everything. This is also one of my favorites. It was wonderful to wake up on our 48th wedding anniversary and read such a touching tribute to Norman Rockwell. It made our day.
Carla Susan Grahl - July 12, 2020 11:30 pm
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I have always loved art and the galleries! I love museums TOO! I appreciate the work of others, like your talent with words! Again thank you!
Marci Welker - July 13, 2020 1:28 am
I hung his illustrations for Tom Sawyer and his baseball prints in my son’s rooms when they were young. He told the story of America.
Christina - July 13, 2020 2:31 am
Yes, he had that special ability to capture the beauty in the simple things in life. Sean, you do that with your writing too. We are blessed.
LBJ - July 13, 2020 2:32 am
One year, for my daughter’s birthday, she received a Norman Rockwell print. My beautiful daughter, Miss Jones, hung it in her classroom. It was perfect there as the print is called, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS JONES”
Hazel Barber - July 13, 2020 3:05 am
Sean, we see that same quality in you. You paint word pictures describing America, the scenic areas and the big hearts of men and women that go the extra mile time and time again. We need to see pictures that describe the America we love. You are a great wordsmith and we need you to continue painting these pictures for us so that we never forget.
Steve Winfield [Lifer] - July 13, 2020 3:09 am
When I was little my dad & I would go to the barber shop together. They always had these magazines. The expressions on the subjects faces were great.
Sonja Wells - July 13, 2020 8:53 am
I have loved Norman Rockwell since I was a teenager. I’m now 61. Still do. My late husband took me to that same exhibition. I was thrilled.
Patricia Gibson - July 13, 2020 3:30 pm
He was amazing!
Michelle - July 13, 2020 4:06 pm
Thank you for this. I am grateful for relatives who introduced me to Norman Rockwell when I was a teen in the 80s. My favorite, a timeless message for us today, is “The Golden Rule.” https://www.nrm.org/2014/02/golden_rule/
Karen Page - July 13, 2020 5:27 pm
Norman Rockwell has always been my favorite artist and just picturing the paintings you mentioned touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes. I’m a 71 year old former art teacher and I know that most young students never see these works. We studied them in my K-12 classes, because of their beauty in mundane situations, the history they teach, and the emotions they elicit, even in the youngest students! What great discussions we had, and what great pictures they created of scenes from their own lives. I will always love Rockwell’s works, as I hope my former students do ❤️
allisvant - July 13, 2020 10:20 pm
The way that I typically circumvent to your blogs entails me scrolling up from the Comments to the actual blog; the number of comments I have to scroll through is often an indicator of the the hearts touched by your effort for that day; so based on that observation & then the elderly lady’s comment on Mass., I knew instantly who you were writing about today; Normal Rockwell was an icon to millions of people back when the term “icon” meant the best of the best!
Ken Pounds - July 14, 2020 5:31 pm
Great job Sean. He painted America and people as we would all want it to be today also. Love his paintings. Your work is alot like his!!
Robert Chiles - July 14, 2020 6:14 pm
How about :”The Four Freedoms?” and the one of the boy in the dentist’s chair
Dawn Bratcher - July 15, 2020 6:00 am
If he were alive today, I hope he could still see the goodness in folks in the midst of all this chaos.
Renée Welsh - July 21, 2020 9:45 pm
In October of last year – we visited Normandy – to honor those who fought valiantly for our freedom. Little did we know that Rockwell’s Four Freedoms (and other pieces) were on display at the Caen Mémorial Museum. A memory beyond words – and at this time of significant civil unrest — his work “A Problem We All Live With” rises to a moment that marked his dedication to use his art for justice. A artist and a gentleman!
valelys - August 16, 2020 10:16 pm
I’ve enjoyed his paintings since I was in grade school Today I could be your fellow exhibit goer with a walker. I collected ceramic depictions of his paintings. Thanks for the memories.
Nancy - August 17, 2020 3:19 pm
I went to Huntingdon my freshman year. Jeff Sessions was going here then.
Mary Anne Tomlinson - August 18, 2020 5:44 pm
Mr. Rockwell painted. You write. Same story and message. There IS good in this world if we only take time to look for it.
Earlier this year, my grandson became an Eagle Scout. I ordered 8×10 reprints of his paintings showing Boy Scouts and displayed them at his Court of Honor. They will eventually reside in his Boy Scout scrapbook.
Thank you, Sean.
PS: My daughter and I got to see you last December in Milton. Sat right behind your lovely Jamie.
Mary Hicks - August 23, 2020 2:17 am
I don’t know exactly how many Norman Rockwell calendars I have! I get one every year at my drugstore! Have been for years. I agree with you totally, Sean! Nothing like his paintings!!
Jane - November 21, 2020 5:25 am
Bobby Carmichael had the second eyes to find beautiful things.He ise great.
You also a same nice man as him.
Thank you
Bill - April 2, 2023 9:36 pm
I loved his artwork, too. Which brings me to a question. Who does the art that accompanies your stories, Sean? You have developed a real thing with him. Similar to what Dave Barry had with Jeff MacNelly. Together the art and the stories are bigger than the sum of the two. Love it.