Art Appreciation: Appreciating Norman Rockwell in a Major Way

American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894 - 1978) was the artist of our fourth quarter art appreciation.  It was so much fun!!  His art is so very different from the other artists we have previously studied, it took the kids by surprise at first.  I think they were confused about how these "funny" pictures could be part of our art lessons ;)

"Before the Shot" 1958

It really was great fun looking for the little details in his paintings.  We took turns choosing which illustrations we liked best and then would "tell the story" that was painted there.  These were some of our favorites:

"Traffic Conditions" (1949)

"Boy With Baby Carriage" (1916)

"Doctor and the Doll" (1929)

(Here's a post on how we "do" art appreciation in general)  For Rockwell, I used two 2013 calendars, art cards, and these books:

Norman Rockwell (Getting to Know the World's Great Artists), Mike Venezia 

Norman Rockwell: Storyteller With a Brush, Beverly Gherman

Norman Rockwell: the Life of an Artist, Jennifer Rozines Roy

Rockwell: a Boy and His Dog, Loren Spiotta-Di Mare

While looking at his artwork, I noticed that many of the originals were at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbrige, Massachusetts.  Well, we were going to Massachusetts at the end of June, and Stockbrige just happened to be right off the interstate...  

The day we were at the museum there was a reunion of people that has served as models for Rockwell.  That would have been interesting to check out, but we were just there for a short time while on the drive home from Cape Cod.  It was a 12-hour ordeal driving home that day.  I'm so glad that we got to spend part of that time here seeing some of Rockwell's original works!  I was especially happy that the kids enjoyed it as much as they did, Ruth in particular. It was a pretty great "homeschool" moment to watch them look at a painting and then realize, "I know this one!"  I think this was the first time they've seen originals of art they've studied and they were pretty impressed.  It was a real treat for all of us! 

Our Visit to the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs

I was so happy that we were able to tag some extra side trips onto our recent vacation to Cape Cod.  We made stops on the way there and back, which helped to break up the car ride and afforded us some "bonus" vacation material during our week away.   One of these was a stop at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, NY.   (also referred to as The Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.) 

The 400-acre grounds in upstate New York are the site of the former Ossernenon village of the Mohawk Native Americans.  It was in this village that three Jesuit saints were tortured and martyred - St. Isaac Jogues (1646), St. Rene Goupil (1642), and St. John Lalande (1646).  A decade later, St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in the same village.  Her mother is believed to have been lead to Catholicism by the these and the other Jesuit missionaries.  It is also believed that the village was the site of the first Rosary prayed in New York in 1642.  And we were there!  

It was so beautiful to be there with our whole family and my mom.  We had been reading and talking about St. Isaac Jogues and St. Kateri in the weeks before our trip in the hopes that we would be able to make the extra stop at the shrine.  It was so good to be there, to see the shrine, to pray, to venerate relics, and to be in the middle of what felt like nowhere but to know it was the same ground tread by holy saints and martyrs.  

The photos are nothing spectacular except that they are the account of our visit to holy ground.  And it was beautiful!

Several of Isaac Jogues fingers had been mutilated by natives during a previous missionary journey to North America.  Once back in France, he had been given permission from the Pope to continue to celebrate Mass despite the fact that his hands were not intact because he had already sacrificed so much to spread the Faith

We did not pray our Rosary at Theresa's Rosary rocks but chose a shady spot near by

Venerating the relics of St. Kateri

St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us!

St. Rene Goupil, pray for us!

St. John Lelands, pray for us!

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us!