Menino Escondido Debaixo do Sofá Espirrando, O Espião que Espirrava (Boy Hiding Under Couch Sneezing, The Sneezing Spy) - Norman Rockwell

Menino Escondido Debaixo do Sofá Espirrando, O Espião que Espirrava (Boy Hiding Under Couch Sneezing, The Sneezing Spy) - Norman Rockwell
Coleção privada
OST - 67x55 - 1921

Appearing on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in October 1921, Boy Hiding Under Couch Sneezing (The Sneezing Spy) reflects the central role that the theme of young romance played in Norman Rockwell’s body of work. The teenage couple the artist depicts here appeared in several of his illustrations from the 1920s, allowing the audience to follow the progression of their courtship.

In the present work, Rockwell employs his characteristic sympathetic humor to illustrate a moment when the lovers are suddenly disturbed by a younger brother who has been hiding beneath the couch. Rockwell infuses the scene with rich details, such as the Chinese drapery strewn over the arm of the daybed, and successfully incorporates the magazine's standard cover format to create a fully realized scene, transporting his viewer to a specific time and place. Boy Hiding Under Couch Sneezing (The Sneezing Spy) demonstrates not only the full extent of the artist’s technical precision and masterful draftsmanship, but also his seemingly limitless imagination, making it a remarkable example of Rockwell’s unparalleled ability to elevate commercial endeavors into the aesthetic realm.