Norman ROCKWELL • American 🇺🇸

👨🏻‍🎨 Norman ROCKWELL • American 🇺🇸 

* 3 February 1894 in New York, N.Y. 

† 8 November 1978 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗍 𝖬𝗂𝖽𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍

Oil on canvas laid down on board

60.9 x 48.2 cm. (24 x 19 in.)

signed Norman/Rockwell (lower right)

📍Private collection

Credit photo: Sotheby’s 

𝖢𝖺𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗎𝖾 𝖭𝗈𝗍𝖾 𝖲𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖻𝗒𝗌 ↓

Rendered for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on #March22_1919 (🔎 𝖥𝖺𝖼𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌⋯ ) Courting Couple at Midnight reflects the central role that the theme of young romance placed in Norman Rockwell’s body of work. The young couple the artist depicts here appeared in several of his illustrations from the period, allowing the audience to follow the progression of their courtship. Rockwell regularly featured the same models in his compositions and recruited students from New Rochelle High School to pose for his paintings. As Christopher Finch observes, “Rockwell’s young lovers are generally fairly attractive but seldom glamorous. He constantly affirms the fact that everybody has the right to fall in love. He does not give us fashion-plate couples. In his treatment of young love, as in his treatment of everything else, he is devoted to the notion that ordinary folks are capable of a poetry of behavior which is as deserving of our attention as any other kind of poetry” (Norman Rockwell’s America, New York, 1975, p. 93).

In the present picture Rockwell employs his characteristic sense of humor to illustrate the moment the clock strikes midnight and the couple realizes their curfew has arrived. The smitten girl leans into her date’s embrace, while he stares at the cuckoo clock willing it to turn back time. Rockwell infuses the scene with rich details, such as the yellow carnation affixed to the young man’s lapel and blue floral wallpaper, transporting his viewer to a specific time and place. Courting Couple at Midnight 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 ability to elevate simple everyday stories into the aesthetic realm.👨🏻‍🎨 Norman ROCKWELL • American 🇺🇸 

* 3 February 1894 in New York, N.Y. 

† 8 November 1978 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗍 𝖬𝗂𝖽𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍

Oil on canvas laid down on board

60.9 x 48.2 cm. (24 x 19 in.)

signed Norman/Rockwell (lower right)

📍Private collection

Credit photo: Sotheby’s 

𝖢𝖺𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗎𝖾 𝖭𝗈𝗍𝖾 𝖲𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖻𝗒𝗌 ↓

Rendered for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on #March22_1919 (🔎 𝖥𝖺𝖼𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌⋯ ) Courting Couple at Midnight reflects the central role that the theme of young romance placed in Norman Rockwell’s body of work. The young couple the artist depicts here appeared in several of his illustrations from the period, allowing the audience to follow the progression of their courtship. Rockwell regularly featured the same models in his compositions and recruited students from New Rochelle High School to pose for his paintings. As Christopher Finch observes, “Rockwell’s young lovers are generally fairly attractive but seldom glamorous. He constantly affirms the fact that everybody has the right to fall in love. He does not give us fashion-plate couples. In his treatment of young love, as in his treatment of everything else, he is devoted to the notion that ordinary folks are capable of a poetry of behavior which is as deserving of our attention as any other kind of poetry” (Norman Rockwell’s America, New York, 1975, p. 93).

In the present picture Rockwell employs his characteristic sense of humor to illustrate the moment the clock strikes midnight and the couple realizes their curfew has arrived. The smitten girl leans into her date’s embrace, while he stares at the cuckoo clock willing it to turn back time. Rockwell infuses the scene with rich details, such as the yellow carnation affixed to the young man’s lapel and blue floral wallpaper, transporting his viewer to a specific time and place. Courting Couple at Midnight 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 ability to elevate simple everyday stories into the aesthetic realm.