Analyzing Norman Rockwell's 'The Runaway'

592 Words2 Pages

INTRODUCTION:
"Right from the beginning, I always strived to capture everything I saw as completely as possible", a quotation from Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), one of the most popular and prolific US painter in the 19th century. This painting is named “The Runaway” done in 1958 that first appeared on The Saturday Evening Post, September 20, 1958 (cover). It’s a painting on oil on canvas and the dimensions are 91cm x 85 cm and it is now conserved in the “The Norman Rockwell Museum of Stockbridge” (Massachusetts). This painting depicts a realistic scene where we see a little boy sitting with a police man sitting beside him and their gaze is directed towards each other. The cook is watching his elbows on the counter. So we can conclude that this painting belongs to the realistic movement.

DESCRIPTION:

The scene takes place in a quiet cafe restaurant. On the background we can see objects that give us information about the time: on the top left hand corner we see an old radio. On the left there are homemade pies …show more content…

He seems to listen to the child attentively or talk to him. He represents authority and protective force. At his side, the young child dressed in neat and clean clothes seems to be talking with innocence. At his feet, in the foreground, a red bundle is the key to the story: it informs us that the child has recently run away. We can then imagine various possibilities. The child was in conflict with his parents or having dreams of adventures decided to run away. In any case, this young child is in search of his identity. Obviously, the presence of the police officer will put a brake on the premature ambition of this boy. The position of the two men slightly leaning towards the child evokes a protective attitude. The café boss is smiling maybe amused by the situation. The cop looks less amused than the man in white: he is affecting a professional demeanour toward the

Show More
Related

  • Vik Muniz Photographs

    449 Words  | 1 Pages

    Many different sensory properties compose the artwork. There is a soft light that seems very natural coming off the boy’s face. The light shines at the boy’s face at an elevated level, as if he were outside on a hot afternoon with the sun overhead. There is a wide range of tones from very bright, in the reflection off the boys cheeks to very dark in the skin of the boys face. Muniz does an excellent job using shadows to provide a feeling of depth and adding curves to the boys body and face. The shape of the boy is positive, but the background is not defined, allowing a negative shape or void in the picture. Although there is no actually texture on the photograph the texture from the original work of art is apparent. The use of sugar gives off a hazy effect preventing the photo from having a clear focus.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Lost Children of Wilder” is a book about how the foster care system failed to give children of color the facilities that would help them lead a somewhat normal and protected life. The story of Shirley Wilder is a sad one once you find out what kind of life she had to live when she was a young girl. Having no mother and rejected by her father she has become a troubled girl.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Tom Wolfe's From Bauhaus To Our House

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his opinionated book, From Bauhaus to Our House, Tom Wolfe describes his views on the way architecture has framed our modern world. He frames his book long essay with an excerpt from America the Beautiful, "O Beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, has there ever been another place on earth where so many people of wealth and power have paid for and put up with so much architecture they detested as within thy blessed borders today? . . . Every child goes to school in a building that looks like a duplicating-machine replacement-parts wholesale distribution warehouse . . . Every new $900,000 summer house in the north woods of Michigan or on the shore of Long Island has so many pipe railings, ramps, hob-tread metal spiral stairways, sheets of industrial plate glass, banks of tungsten-halogen lamps, and white cylindrical shapes, it looks like an insecticide refinery." (Wolfe 1) This quote, in short, is the premise of his critique. He does not like the way modern architecture

    Read More

  • Nightmare In Jamestown Movie Analysis

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this documentary by The National Geographic, The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown captures what it must have been like for the settlers of Jamestown. It takes place in an archeological site which is owned by the APVA where they found remains of the original men who first arrived to the New World and who set up the colony at Jamestown. They were sent by the Virginia Company in hopes of being able to bring home gold and other riches that the Spanish had already been taking advantage of. Unfortunately, in the process, they faced disease, death, hunger, and hostility from the Indians.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Book 'The Running Dream'

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout life people encounter a numerous amount of obstacles, some of these obstacles can be tougher than others. These obstacles don’t define who you are, how the situation is handled does. In the book The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen, Jessica encounters a tremendous obstacle that life could throw at her. Jessica has had to learn to adjust her life from the way that she used to live. Her life is changing and she has to decide if this accident defines who she is going to be while being surrounded by the love and comfort of her family.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Journey Into Night By David Sedaris

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people have issues with flying. Some are nervous that the plane might not make it to its destination while others think of flying as an overpriced, uncomfortable, and unpleasant experience. Than there are those who can afford to make their flight experience much more luxurious which are the passengers flying in business class or in first class. These are passengers that get the champagne in the plastic glasses and the chairs that stretch all the way out. David Sedaris is able to paint this picture of entitlement and lack of comfort throughout his article “Journey into Night.”

    Read More

  • The Outsiders Theme Essay

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Outsiders identified the 60’s, often there would be violence between groups and often involving a group’s social class. For instance, the tensions between the Socs and Greasers is violent, and this will lead to Bob’s death, Johnny’s death, as well as many injuries throughout both gangs. The book The Outsiders is written by S.E. Hinton and is portrayed through the eyes of a high school student in Tulsa, OK where S.E. Hinton grew up. Hinton began writing The Outsiders in 1965 at the age of 17 and the book was finally published in 1967 when she was 19. The difference in perspective upon the society and social class creates issues throughout The Outsiders and they assume the problems will be solved with violence,

    Read More

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin: A Summer Awakening to Slavery

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    I never thought that I would read a book over the summer, but over the course of these past two months, that changed. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” forever changed how I view slavery. I loved reading it. Throughout the whole novel, Stowe uses her experience and knowledge to portray the terrible hardships and struggles that slaves endured everyday. Not only does this book express the thoughts of the slaves and their faith in God, but also of the people around them. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” wanted so badly for America to give freedom and equality for all people, and that is what I enjoyed most while reading.

    Read More

  • Flannery O’Connor: Violence as a Christian Literary Tool

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Flannery O’Connor was an American writer who wrote several short stories. O’Connor was known for shocking her readers with violence. O’ Connor had strong Christian beliefs that were reflected in her writings. O’ Connor once said:

    Read More

  • A Day at the Norton Simon Museum

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    We walked and walked looking at each art piece, which were all well displayed. Then as I looked at the back wall, a large oil canvas painting looked right back at me. I could feel its pain and so then, I decided to do my paper on this piece. The painting was The Ragpicker by Manet. (The Ragpicker. Edouard Manet.1865.Oil on canvas.) The painting was so enormous that it was hard to miss. Such a huge painting for one man, it almost looked life-like. The dimensions of this work is 76.75” x 51.25”. This scene seems to take place of a lower-class man late in his age, probably near his seventies, appears to be looking out of the corner of his eye. The ...

    Read More

  • A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, located in the Art Institute of Chicago, is one of the most recognizable paintings of the 19th century, a painting made by Frenchman Georges Seurat. Finished in 1886, it has gained much of its recognition over the time of its completion; the pop culture of today has played a pivotal role into the popularity of it. An example of that is being apart in one of the most recognizable scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where one of the main characters is solely staring at the painting until he can’t even recognize the artwork. This painting also gets much attention because it was an early example of the style of pointillism, at the time; pointillism was becoming a new way of expressing one self with the new technique. It also brought upon about the way we saw paintings, and what we gained from the artwork as whole. In all this painting has become an icon in the art scene, due to the technique it used, and how much of an impact it has had in today culture.

    Read More

  • Cat's Cradle And Slaughterhouse Kurt Vonnegut Analysis

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    The meaning of religion can be different for everyone; some use it to justify events happening, while others use it to turn people against each other. As Kurt Vonnegut describes tragic events during World War II, unrealistic adventures in space and destructive scientific advances, he shares his unique perspective on life and religion. Although many of his works were set during 20th century, Vonnegut satirically addresses issues that are present in today’s society. Despite efforts to prevent wars, people have not found a solution to do it. And while mankind progresses toward scientific way of life, the destruction of life is inevitable. New machines are invented every day to make genocide easier and faster. So, in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Dont Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the third sentence of the extract, the narrator states that the father “nonchalantly stands . . . like a horse at rest”, connecting him with the image on a strong and powerful horse. The father is viewed by the narrator as being in control and mighty. The diction used by the narrator develops an atmosphere than is tense, like walking a tightrope. The use of “if” and contrasting sentences displays the anxiety present in the scene. Should the father accept the offer, the mood will become “exuberant”, but if the father tears the ticket, refusing, the atmosphere will become “quiet” and in the future, cause “anger”. As of the moment of the scene however, the atmosphere is taut and nerve-wracking. Synecdoche is also used to distinguish to the reader which parent the narrator is focused on, such as when the father is being addressed. The narrator takes note of watching “Dad’s hands as he walks the line”. This prompts the reader to focus their attention to the father’s hands and how they are linked to his line of work, the trading mainly. This gives off the essence of a working class as usually one would watch someone’s back as

    Read More

  • James Joyce's Dubliners

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of the “Encounter” expresses different images of light and dark. Thesituation of the image of the old man the two young boys come across on their journey. The adventure of the young boys leads to some confusion to what’s happening throughout their adventures. The boys were talking “with Leo Dillon and a boy named Mahony I planned a day’s miching”(13). The boys came up with plans to get out of school for their adventure. The boys headed out towards their destination; throughout their adventure they come across uncertainties. The boys come across the world that’s different than what they are used to, such as the old man. The old man seems very confusing for the young boys; the old man talks about young girls saying, “what nice soft hair they had and how soft their hands were and how all girls were not so good as they seemed to be if one only knew” (18). The boys were confused with the statements the old man was saying. Mahony said “he’s a queer old josser” (18). The images of the old man were very negative towards the boys adventure. ...

    Read More

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin Literary Analysis

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin is considered a classic. Many times classic lose some of their impact as time goes by but that is not the case with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel. It can be argued that the story has more meaning and impact now then it even did when it was first published. It is a glimpse into a dark period of American history that people have no actual frame of reference to understand. Books like Stowe’s puts a name and an emotional context to what can otherwise be viewed through a detached lens of indifference.

    Read More

More about Analyzing Norman Rockwell's 'The Runaway'

Open Document