- 21
Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978
Estimate
1,000,000 - 1,500,000 USD
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Description
- Norman Rockwell
- End of the Working Day (Commuter Rush)
- signed Norman Rockwell (lower center)
- oil on canvas
- 30 1/4 by 25 inches
- (76.8 by 63.5 cm)
- Painted in 1920.
Provenance
Mr. Don McKinney
Mrs. Vincent M. Dungan, Visalia, California, circa 1975 (acquired from the above via Mary Hunter Galleries, San Francisco)
By descent to the present owner
Mrs. Vincent M. Dungan, Visalia, California, circa 1975 (acquired from the above via Mary Hunter Galleries, San Francisco)
By descent to the present owner
Literature
Literary Digest, November 6, 1920, illustrated in color on the cover
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalogue of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, illustrated fig. 1-86, p. 29
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. C141, p. 53, illustrated
Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator, New York, 1988, p. 33, illustrated
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalogue of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, illustrated fig. 1-86, p. 29
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. C141, p. 53, illustrated
Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator, New York, 1988, p. 33, illustrated
Catalogue Note
End of the Working Day appeared on the cover of Literary Digest on November 6, 1920, by which time a twenty-six year old Norman Rockwell had already gained recognition within the thriving world of commerical illustration. Over a five year period from 1918 to 1923, Rockwell produced 47 covers for the weekly current events magazine. Each of these illustrations captures an idyllic snapshot of American society, a theme that has become quintessentially associated with the artist today. “The view of life I communicate in my pictures excludes the sordid and ugly,” he once articulated. “I paint life as I would like it to be” (My Adventures as an Illustrator, New York, 1988, p. 34).
In End of the Working Day, citizens from different echelons of society, including a businessman, schoolboy, handyman, sailor and young lady, make their way home at dusk. Rockwell renders this traditionally hectic scene in a tranquil manner; each figure is exclusively focused on his or her journey and unconcerned with, but simultaneously respectful of, the larger world. He does, however, capture the immediacy of the commute through his quick brushstrokes and almost impressionistic treatment of the brickwork and windows in the background of the composition. The visible lack of human interaction speaks to the anonymity of life in an urban setting, a sentiment that Rockwell experienced as a boy. He uses a vivid red, which contrasts with the muted neutral tones found in the rest of the composition, to draw attention to the young woman’s hat and schoolboy’s sweater. By highlighting these two youthful figures, Rockwell conveys the innocence of a generation just beginning to experience the city.
In End of the Working Day, citizens from different echelons of society, including a businessman, schoolboy, handyman, sailor and young lady, make their way home at dusk. Rockwell renders this traditionally hectic scene in a tranquil manner; each figure is exclusively focused on his or her journey and unconcerned with, but simultaneously respectful of, the larger world. He does, however, capture the immediacy of the commute through his quick brushstrokes and almost impressionistic treatment of the brickwork and windows in the background of the composition. The visible lack of human interaction speaks to the anonymity of life in an urban setting, a sentiment that Rockwell experienced as a boy. He uses a vivid red, which contrasts with the muted neutral tones found in the rest of the composition, to draw attention to the young woman’s hat and schoolboy’s sweater. By highlighting these two youthful figures, Rockwell conveys the innocence of a generation just beginning to experience the city.