Over there 1917

This is Norman Rockwell's cover for the sheet music of "Over There," probably painted in 1917. The illustration uses soft, washy colors and shows four young soldiers singing around a campfire. Rockwell was an illustrator, and I wonder, what was he thinking about when he made it? Did he feel sympathetic, like he was singing along with them in his studio? I imagine Rockwell carefully mixing his paints to get just the right shades of khaki and flesh tones. He's probably got a photo of the song composer, George M. Cohan, tacked to his easel. The soldiers' faces are so expressive, and it's like Rockwell is showing us how music can lift our spirits, even when we're far from home. The way he uses light and shadow, there's such a feeling of warmth and camaraderie. Rockwell had a knack for capturing these everyday moments, making them feel both real and kind of heroic. It reminds me of other painters who were drawn to scenes of ordinary life, like Winslow Homer, but with a bit of sentimentality thrown in.