"The Veterinarian," a 1961 painting is incuded in "Itâs a Dogâs Life: Norman Rockwell Paints Manâs Best Friend." The exhibit runs through Nov. 11.”It’s a dog’s life,” goes an old adage. And for some dogs of yesteryear, life was more than barking and bones; it included being immortalized by 20th century American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell.
"It's a Dog's Life: Norman Rockwell Paints Man's Best Friends," a new exhibition, focuses on his work with dogs through original artworks, photographs and archival materials. It will be on view at Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge through Nov. 11.
Dogs of all kinds – from wide-eyed beagles to endearing mutts – made frequent appearances in Rockwell's work. A dog-lover himself, the artist realized how appealing dogs were to readers of the Saturday Evening Post and other publications, and he intentionally cast them as interacting figures in his compositions for cover paintings, story illustrations, advertisements, and family Christmas cards.
“Rockwell’s own dogs accompanied him to the studio and would sometimes nap alongside him as he worked,” said Joyce K. Schiller, curator for the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, who organized the exhibit. “He also borrowed neighbors’ dogs to serve as models, enlisting their owners to assist them in striking a pose. Offering advice to fellow artists, he coached them to portray animals ‘as carefully and understandingly’ as they paint people in their work.”
IF YOU GO
- Exhibit:
- “It’s a Dog’s Life: Norman Rockwell Paints Man’s Best Friend”
- When:
- Now through Nov. 11
A dog lover herself, Schiller said there are “quite a number” of Rockwell’s illustrations that include dogs, though she never has counted.
The earliest in the new show is from a 1916 Saturday Evening Post that illustrates a group of tough-looking boys and a tough-looking bulldog. One from a 1918 Farm and Fireside magazine shows a boy with a straight razor giving himself his first shave. A “mutt-looking dog” looks on as if to say, “Get a load of this: He’s shaving, but I am the one with the whiskers,” Schiller quipped.
"The dog helps tell the story," she said. "(Rockwell) used the dogs as characters."
Not all of the pieces in the exhibit are finished works; also, many are works the public rarely – if ever – gets to see because they are on loan from private collections or from museum storage. One is a pencil sketch on an envelope of a clown with a resistant dog on a leash.
"If you love Norman Rockwell you're going to love this (exhibit)," Schiller said.
As part of the museum's celebration of dogs, there will be festivities for dogs and their families on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 1-4 p.m.
Dogs can romp on the grounds, and their families can learn about dog training with Eric Letendre from Bay State Dog Training and view talented dogs showing off their tricks. Representatives of the Berkshire Humane Society will offer tips about dog ownership and the work of the society.