Next to Andrew Wyeth, Rockwell is probably the most popular and beloved American painter. A very modest man, Rockwell always insisted that he was only an illus trator. He frequently worked from...

Next to Andrew Wyeth, Rockwell is probably the most popular and beloved American painter. A very modest man, Rockwell always insisted that he was only an illus trator. He frequently worked from photographs. Does the folksy piety appear sentimental in Freedom from Want (Figure 14-5)? Is the scene superfi cial? Does the scene stir your imagination? Does the painting make any demand on you? Enhance your sensitivity to anything? Enlarge your experience? Is Freedom from Want art or illustration? Despite his popularity, Rockwell is almost uni ver sally described as an illustrator by the experts. They claim that his works are composed of pictorial clichés. Do you agree? Who anoints the experts?

Figure 14-5