Thread by @claralieu

Norman Rockwell's painting "The Problem We all Live With" is an iconic painting, but in researching the viral image by Bria Goeller which refers to Rockwell's painting, I'm seeing that as famous as this painting is, many people do not know it. Here's a deeper dive:

Many people have said there's no need for Goeller to credit Rockwell when presenting her artwork, and that it's unfair because Rockwell didn't credit his references either. Rockwell didn't have to, because the references were his own. Reference photo below of the a U.S. Marshall:

Here is another reference photo, from 1963 for "The Problem We All Live With." The model is Lynda Gunn with her father standing beside her. Note the lunchbox, which isn't in the final painting. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/AwEEt6…

This reference photo shows the specific hair style Rockwell wanted. The "perk" and gesture of the braid is a small but critical part of the way Ruby Bridges is portrayed in Rockwell's painting. The model again, is Lynda Gunn. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/JgFesL…

Many people are unaware that these reference photos shot by Rockwell are not of 1 girl. This reference photo is Anita Gunn, not Lynda Gunn. Rockwell was comprehensive when exploring options for his paintings. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/cAHlBb…

Norman Rockwell was extremely specific about what he wanted in his reference photos; you can see here in this photo Rockwell is demonstrating for his model the specific gesture he wanted to achieve for the stance of the U.S. Marshalls.

Notice the wood blocks that Rockwell positioned under the feet of this model, it shows the slight exaggerations that Rockwell worked hard to achieve in his paintings that were not possible in real life when doing the exact same action. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/DwFN1v…

Rockwell's reference photos are meticulous their detail; where most artists would just dress the model in a coat, Rockwell took the time to add the band on the model's arm that says "Deputy U.S. Marshal." artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/6gF95R…

Even the thrown tomatoes, a small section of Rockwell's painting was set up in real life and photographed as a reference. Many artists might assume that painting a smashed tomato wouldn't require a reference photo, but Rockwell thought it did! artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/_AHrDJ…

Here is an oil study done prior to the final artwork. Note that the position of Ruby Bridges in the final painting is different than in this study; she is positioned more to the right. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/TwEfGy…

Here is a charcoal study Rockwell did as well, showing the position of Ruby Bridges that was in the final painting. artsandculture.google.com/asset/_/BQEJtm…

I'm an art educator, and it wasn't until I visited the @NRockwellMuseum that I was made aware of his reference photos. Today, it's too easy for artists to use Google images, so it's rare to see this. Here is a video on how to shoot your own references:

I discuss Bria Goeller's image, appropriation, ethics, Norman Rockwell, and more in this video: There's so much more to talk about here, beyond the first impression. With viral images, it's easy for a lot of these important issues to be missed.

The video above discusses copyright law for artists, appropriation, ethics, and more. I will say that it's really common for artists to either 1) not be aware of, or 2) not have access to reliable info on copyright law. This video is a start:

I don't blame artists for not knowing, art schools never mention copyright issues or plagiarism, despite the inevitability of artists encountering these issues in the professional world. I'm not surprised that it's so confusing for so many artists.

In today's digital landscape, it's far too easy to acquire images made by other people. It's time that we increase awareness of these issues. We can't wait until people are professionals to learn this stuff the hard way, it has to start much sooner.