Milton Garrison

This is a bit less of a success than the other books in this series of Norman Rockwell portfolios. Seemingly every American holiday is covered, with the author providing a brief blurb about the holiday to the accompaniment of a Rockwell painting, usually one of the artist's lesser works. There are a few exceptions; a Christmas piece called "The Discovery" masterfully portrays the shock a young boy is subjected to when he discovers a Santa outfit in his father's dresser drawer. Another one from the Thanksgiving chapter is one of my favorite Rockwell works: "Thanksgiving: Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes" (1945), in which a gray-haired mother, looking near tears of happiness, can't take her eyes off her soldier son who is apparently home on furlough from WWII. The son himself exudes a quiet joy and thankfulness. This is one of Rockwell's most emotional works of art. But most of the art in this particular book in the series is relatively forgettable.… (más)