A Rule in Common: Norman Rockwell’s ‘Golden Rule’

A Rule in Common: Norman Rockwell’s ‘Golden Rule’
“The Golden Rule” by Norman Rockwell. Oil on canvas. Cover of the April 1, 1961 Saturday Evening Post. ©1961 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, Ind. Courtesy of Norman Rockwell Museum Collection
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Recent events concerning the death of George Floyd have unleashed anger across the United States. Peaceful protests are being conducted, but unfortunately, these are often overshadowed by the looting and rioting of a few instigators. 
Everyone is expressing their anger: either at George Floyd’s death, racism, the protests, or the looting and rioting. I’m of the opinion that, irrespective of race, we become what we practice. I’m left asking a potentially unanswerable question: “What are we practicing, and where will it lead us?”  

Painting Freedom and Truth

I was recently reminded by Norman Rockwell’s painting “Golden Rule” that, despite our differences, we have a lot in common with each other. Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator, who for 47 years painted 321 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. He, in pursuit of freedom and truth, depicted the honest nuance of American life during his time. 
Eric Bess
Eric Bess
Author
Eric Bess, Ph.D., is a fine artist, a writer on art-related topics, and an assistant professor at Fei Tian College in Middletown, New York.
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