Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and the
Narrative Tradition
Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA
This summer, Norman Rockwell Museum presents the first
comprehensive exhibition to look at the work of master illustrators Maxfield
Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell in relation to the history of Western
art. With more than 60 works by 25 American and European painters, along with
more than 300 digital representations of some 50 other artists, Keepers of the
Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and the Narrative Tradition will reveal the
lineage connecting American illustration to some 500 years of European painting
through the long line of teachers who have passed along their wisdom, knowledge,
and techniques to generations of creators.
The exhibit occupies four galleries, with each artist’s work
displayed in one gallery. The
final gallery of Keepers of the Flame sums up some of the exhibition’s major
themes, featuring works of these three artists among others.
Keepers of the Flame traces the student-to-teacher lineage
of the above-mentioned artists to their artistic forbears reaching back to the
Italian Renaissance. In so doing, it shows how these illustrators, all of whom
painted with the same principals and techniques as their artistic ancestors
created what would prove to be iconic imagery and unforgettable narratives that
defined them as keepers of the flame of traditional Western painting.
The opening will be held Saturday, July 14 at 5:30pm with
commentary by exhibition curator Dennis Nolan at 6pm.The event is free for
members, $20 for not-yet members.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is located on 36 park-like acres
in Stockbridge, which was Rockwell’s hometown for the last 25 years of his
life. For information about the exhibit and Museum check www.nrm.org
