O Colecionador (The Collector) - Norman Rockwell
Coleção privada
OST - 76x121- 1971
Norman Rockwell painted over 800 covers of some of America's
most popular magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post, for which he
is best known, making him perhaps the greatest visual mass communicator of the
twentieth century. The Franklin Mint, founded in 1964, sought to bring art and
collectibles to the masses and in 1970, they commissioned Rockwell, whose
imagery was as instantly recognizable as it was widespread, to create a series
of works for the company. The interests of Rockwell and The Mint, both
veritable American 'brands,' were aligned and the resulting prints and
collectibles represented a successful and lucrative partnership. The
Collector, the most important work from this commission, is a touching scene in
which Rockwell celebrates the connoisseurship of the coin collector, The Mint's
most loyal customer.
The Franklin Mint initially commissioned Rockwell to design drawings that could
be made into collectible plates, medals and figures. According to Laurie Norton
Moffatt, Executive Director of The Norman Rockwell Museum, "The Franklin
Mint is the only company from whom Norman Rockwell accepted a commission that
would be rendered three-dimensionally in its reproduced state." (Norman
Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p.
392) Rockwell completed several sets of drawings, totaling about 80 sketches
between 1970 and 1975, to be translated into series of ingots-including
subjects on the poems of Robert Frost, the Boy Scouts, and a series called
"Norman Rockwell's Fondest Memories." The Collector was one
of two oil paintings created as part of this commission. The works were painted
to be reproduced in a limited edition series of lithographs, which were printed
with a dedication to the members of the Franklin Mint Collecting Society.
Spirit of America (Lot ****) was the second of these works in oil. The coins
and ingots which adorn the room in The Collector represent the
collectibles offered by The Franklin Mint.
In The Collector, an enthusiast intently studies a coin in hand. He wears
white gloves to delicately handle his prized objects, substituting his glasses
for a magnifying glass as he makes a closer inspection. He appears to take
pride in his collecting, dressed sharply for the examination. A younger man,
and a dog are keen apprentices. The scene appears to be in an inviting home
study, where the collector enjoys a hot drink with his pipe. The light from the
desk lamp casts a warm yellow light on the scene.
Included in the detailed still life work that encompasses much of the canvas
of The Collector is a bust of Benjamin Franklin, the namesake of the
Franklin Mint Company. There is also a tenuous connection linking Benjamin
Franklin to the history of The Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell's famed
previous employer. Cyrus H.C. Curtis, founder of Curtis Publishing Company,
strengthened this association by including a line stating "founded A.D.
1728 by Benj. Franklin," with a logo of Franklin's likeness on the editorial
page in every issue he oversaw of The Post. Franklin's colonial
publication, The Pennsylvania Gazette, was printed in the same print shop
building in Philadelphia where The Post was launched, six years
after The Gazette ceased publication in 1815. That shared building is
the actual link between the two publications. (D. Solomon, American
Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell, New York, 2013, p. 73)
In 1932, Rockwell traveled for an extended stay in Paris with his wife, Mary.
Rockwell's biographer Deborah Solomon notes that on the trip, "One day
when he ducked into the gift shop at the Louvre, he bought Mary a miniature
sculpture, 'a six inch reproduction of Benjamin Franklin by Houdon,' as she
noted. It had more significance for her husband than for her-Ben Franklin was
purportedly the Post's founder, as it said on the cover every week. Perhaps the
bust was a symbol of Rockwell's career, one he wished his wife could
enjoy." (American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell, New York,
2013, p. 157) This souvenir possibly served as a model for the bust in the
present work. Rockwell has tilted the bust in a downward angle, not original to
an Houdon or traditional bust sculpture. This intentional slant is evident in a
reference photograph that Rockwell used as part of his working process, where
he is holding a bust at this desired angle. The tilt of Franklin's inanimate
head echoes that of the figures peering down at the coins, a deliberate
compositional repetition by Rockwell for added effect.
Aspects of the composition of The Collector recall traditional
Renaissance painting, to which Rockwell was particularly attuned. Coins
specifically are historic objects and have been pictured throughout the history
of art. Quentin Metsys' The Money-Lender (Banker) and his Wife has
parallel characteristics to the composition of The Collector. In both
works a table makes up the foreground, extending from beyond the bottom edge of
the canvas, with book shelves encompassing the background, where a man examines
coins alongside an observer. The color palettes are also similar, where the
artists have used the complimentary colors of green and red in key components
of the work. The Collector is a twentieth century image displaying a
traditional, wholesome pastime. Rockwell chose a traditional, formal
composition that was fitting for the activity.
Nota do blog: vendida em leilão da Christie’s por USD 965,000.