Norman Rockwell is one of the most well-known illustrators of the 20th century.   He is known for his famous paintings of American life, many of which graced the covers of magazines during the 1950s and 1960s.   His famous works include “Freedom from Want”,  “The Problem We All Live With”, and many more.  

Years ago, I took a group of 5th – 8th grade students to an art museum that was hosting a Rockwell exhibit.  You might think that going to an art museum is something only stuffy, intellectual types enjoy.   Surely the students would be happy to have a field trip and get out of the classroom, but go to an art museum?  Isn’t that boring?

Prior to our visit, we spent several class periods studying the work of Rockwell.  We looked at his technique of starting with a pencil or charcoal sketch and then applying a light layer of paint over a heavily coated canvas to create his signature style.   We studied the history of some of his work and how he took a stand against racism with a controversial painting.  

We studied his style.  We critiqued his style.  We practiced his style. Then we went to see the paintings in person.

You can imagine how breathtaking it was for the students to see the “real thing”.  Those 5th – 8th graders first rushed from painting to painting, breathlessly seeing which ones were there and which ones weren’t.  After taking their initial visual inventory, they then slowed way down and looked much more closely at each one.  

Students instantly became art authenticators.  They whispered with one another, trying to spot sections where the paint was thickly applied.  Other students discussed, with all of the knowledge of a miniature art scholar (which they were!) the history of this painting or that one.  Those students did more than look at the paintings;  they lived in them for several minutes as they compared what they knew with what they were seeing.  

Interestingly, I noticed another school group begin to weave their way through the gallery.  Those other students were polite and quiet, looking at the paintings.  They were respectful too, moving at a moderate pace from painting to painting.  

But they didn’t linger.  They didn’t excitedly discuss each painting in fervent whispers.  From everything I could see, they didn’t really grasp the enormity and the excellence of what they were looking at in that gallery. 

Our students were normal kids, just like the other ones walking through the museum.  So, what was the difference?  Our students had been given a classical education.  They learned the grammar of Rockwell before they enjoyed his paintings.  In fact, they enjoyed them more because they had learned the grammar first.  Now, when face to face with the painting they had only read about it, they could drink in the sight.  Instead of just paintings hanging on the wall, they were treasures to be explored and enjoyed.  

That is the beauty of a classical education:  it turns a museum visit into a treasure hunt.  I ask you, which group of students had more fun that day?   

Holly Kalton
Head of School, Libertas Academy