Norman Rockwell, Knowledge is Power, cover for the October 27, 1917 edition of "The Saturday Evening Post."
With much of the country going back to school soon, I thought I would post about an interesting cover Norman Rockwell made for The Saturday Evening Post, the source for all that is Americana. It is often called Knowledge is Power from the writing on the chalkboard created by the student in the image. The young boy is presumably working on his punishment that was doled out, no doubt, because of some cheeky remark about why he must be in school.
The twist of the image, so common to Rockwell works, is in the "power" being transferred to the boy from his teacher by the "knowledge" he himself is gaining in the scene. His teacher is, probably inappropriately, being visited by a suitor in the classroom. We can see the man leaning up against her desk coyly, as he hides a ribbon wrapped package behind his back. The teacher looks uninterested with the man's presence, but, her cool exterior is betrayed by the flush of her cheeks. Despite being punished by his teacher, we can tell the boy is quite pleased by the situation: the happy look upon his face reveals that he too sees the irony in the picture, and knows he now holds some measure of power over his teacher.
How will the boy use this knowledge to his advantage?
Will the teacher make some sort of deal with the student to keep her love affair hush hush?
Does the man receive any kind of reciprocation from the beautiful teacher?
I hope this image makes you smile as you think of the knowledge that will soon be swirling about in the coming school year.
May inspiration and creativity be with you!
Very thought provoking...and the knowledge is already swirling in my head. So much so I have a headache. I returned to work after having the summer off and today was information overload. I enjoyed your take on Rockwell's piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following my blog. I am now following both of yours. I recently earned my BA in Architecture and plan to make it a habit to stop by your blog to see what we are discussing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have a reproduction of Pablo Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" in my living room!
www.thewannabewahm.com
Thanks for stopping by my blog from SITS. I am a HUGE fan of Rockwell. I actually prefer his pencil sketches, and own two of my own. I really like this blog, as I enjoy different types of artwork, and think this is a great way to showcase them. I don't know too much about them, but try to learn a little about each piece I own. I think Picasso was a genius in that he could do SO many different styles and people really only know the one (in my opinion - ODD) style.
ReplyDeleteYou are really a wonderful teacher of art.