Artwork: The Gossips.
Artist: Norman Rockwell.
About the Work: Few artists have ever managed to breathe such life into the faces of their subjects as caricaturist Norman Rockwell.
But Rockwell captured more than people; he captured an enchanting – if rather fantastic – look at American life over five defining decades in the early 20th century. His images were simple in appearance, but delightfully complex in their thematics and attention to detail.
The Gossips is a captivating example of this. Produced for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post’s March 1948 edition, it received so much attention that it became the Post’s best-selling issue in five years, and the highest-selling issue featuring Rockwell’s work in 33 years.
We don’t know just what gossip was shared, but does it really matter? Apparently so; the magazine received thousands of calls from readers begging to know what was being said. The first woman in the image – a local from the area surrounding his Arlington home – held a grudge with him for years after as a result of people approaching her in the street and imploring her to let them in on the secret.
During the developmental stage of his productions, Rockwell took on a role not so dissimilar to that of a film director. Rather than take the photos himself, he would hire a professional, allowing him to freely instruct the models on how to perform.
Due to his style, Rockwell was discredited as ‘just another advertiser’ by his fellow artists, but today he is remembered as one of the greats; a man whose deft hand developed wonderfully memorable insight into the human condition.