Good Friends 1927

Norman Rockwell made this painting of a boy and his dogs, probably with oil on canvas. Look how he models the forms with soft, blended strokes, a technique he mastered as an illustrator. You can see it clearly in the folds of the boy's shirt and the rounded shapes of the puppies. The paint has a smooth, almost creamy texture. The way Rockwell uses color is so skillful. Everything is kind of brown, but it's a warm, inviting brown. The light catches the puppies' fur just so. The whole scene is pretty cute, and it's the kind of cute that makes you wanna' scratch one of those puppy’s ears. Rockwell's sentimental style wasn't exactly groundbreaking, but he made it his own. He reminds me of Winslow Homer, another American painter who captured everyday life, only Rockwell's got more sweetness than grit. Anyway, art's a conversation.