The Painter’s Eye

Featuring A Day in the Life of a Little Girl by Norman Rockwell

Almost everyone has heard of Norman Rockwell. But only recently have museums shown any interest in exhibiting his work.

This exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute is a remarkable chance to see many finished paintings, mostly oils, of Rockwell’s famous images. He used photographs extensively in producing his illustrations. This exhibition, which runs from Nov. 15 through Feb. 5, includes not just paintings, but studies and reference photos, too.

A Day in the Life of a Little Girl (The Saturday Evening Post, cover April 30, 1952) takes the viewer through a rather hectic summer day of a young girl in a format favored by Rockwell – a series of portraits meant to be read from left to right and top to bottom.

The painting measures 42” by 45”; the large size of the original painting will surprise you. It’s quite rare to find a contemporary illustration based on a painted original, and even more rare to find one with large original artwork like this. Save for the use of yellow, it is practically monochromatic, and throughout, we see Rockwell’s fine and meticulous hand.

There is a lot for a realist painter to learn from these pieces, as Rockwell was a superb craftsman. He never referred to himself as an artist with a capital “A;” he always said he was an illustrator, period.

As many of his subjects were charming views of Americana of the last century, these works are where the interests of most viewers lie.

This show will also illustrate that Rockwell didn’t shy away from difficult or serious subjects. However you view them, this is a fine exhibition, enjoyable on many levels.

Always the professional, Rockwell paid all of his models, including Mary Whalen, the subject of this painting. Miss Whalen bought a bicycle with her earnings. cs