Gary Cooper as ‘The Texan’ 1930

Editor: So, here we have Norman Rockwell's "Gary Cooper as 'The Texan'," painted in 1930 using oil. It feels almost like a behind-the-scenes snapshot, and there's this funny juxtaposition of the macho cowboy image and the rather fussy makeup application. What do you make of this? Curator: Ah, Norman Rockwell, painting life as he dreamt it and sometimes saw it! You're right, there's a lovely tension here. I'm caught by the tenderness—almost paternal—in the makeup artist's focus on Cooper, who looks wonderfully vulnerable. Editor: Vulnerable? I wouldn't have immediately jumped to that. Curator: Maybe not immediately. But look closer: the slightly parted lips, the upward gaze, trusting… he’s submitted himself to the process, hasn’t he? What does that tell you about Rockwell’s view of masculinity, perhaps of the actor himself, playing a role? Editor: Interesting! I guess it humanizes Cooper. I'd focused so much on the cowboy regalia – the saddle, the gun, the spurs... Rockwell throws it all into this funny light by showing the *making* of the cowboy, rather than the cowboy himself. Curator: Exactly. And there's also Rockwell playing with realism, right? Think about the detail: the almost photographic accuracy mixed with a hint of theatrical artifice, all that theatrical "stuff" placed behind the figure of Cooper. Do you wonder where, what’s ‘real’ and what's stagecraft? Perhaps he is trying to challenge our notions of authenticity? Editor: It’s a fascinating contrast. So, the painting makes you question not only the cowboy myth but also what's “real” and “staged”. I’ll definitely look at Rockwell differently from now on! Curator: Indeed. That blend is what makes Rockwell… Rockwell. He was offering us a wink, then and now, inviting us to smile at the construction of image and the men who allow it.