Rockwell: Brushstrokes & Textures

More on my Norman Rockwell observations from the exhibit mentioned previously.

*********************************

In other works I it was clear that Rockwell had under-painted the folds in clothing with a sepia smear of thin colour that allowed much of the grain of the canvas to break through. Then, next to the darkness of the depression in the fold, he would paint a thick light swath of paint representing the relief of the fabric. Rockwell cleverly emphasized the impression of depth in the fold not only by the obvious difference in colouring but also in a difference in the density of paint as well as creating an actual physical difference in the “height” of the applied painting, in fact creating visual shadows to fall into the fold from the edge of the paint. I could not find a reproduction of the painting where this was the most evident, but it can be seen in the detail from “ The Problem We All Live With” where it is also used.

Also evident in this detail are 2 other effects that I noted. One, Rockwell made liberal use of charcoal in both his under drawing and often over top the painting as well.

The folds are outlined in charcoal. In some paintings the shadow detail of the fold is not only outlined it is suggested with gentle charcoal hatching, thus creating a mixed media work.

In his painting “The Brass Merchant” the dark outline around the white suit of the woman is actually a dark charcoal edge.

Also evident from the detail of the “Problem We All Live With” is that in many paintings, Rockwell must have first applied a very heavy textured ground before he drew on his cartoon and started to paint. This entire image is heavily textured in life. As though a house painter had prepared a faux stone or stucco wall in miniature. The texture is apparent throughout, not just where the stone of the wall is represented but also in the clothing of the men, though those are somewhat smoothed over.

The paint in the stone work is not only textured, there is also evidence that Rockwell applied many techniques making use of the relief in the texture of the paint such as applying a coat of glaze and then rubbing off allowing colour to collect in the crevices. The sidewalk area has been textured in quite a different way.

In another painting it was very evident that Rockwell had sprinkled sand quite densely into the paint, allowed it to dry and glazed over it.

Many of the paintings showed severe cracking. Rockwell himself had explained that, in an unorthodox fashion, he would alternate paint layers with varnish layers, often, in deference to his deadlines, without allowing adequate drying time. The layers of varnish would allow him to use turpentine to remove dried paint when he was unhappy with his progress without disturbing the portion under the varnish, with which he was contented.

I have always loved Rockwell’s work from his most saccharine to his most politically poignant but I had no idea to what degree he experimented with paint. Visiting this exhibit was a real education.