Little Boy holding Chalk Board 1927

Norman Rockwell captured this little boy with a chalkboard in what feels like a fleeting, yet profoundly tender moment. The painting has a quiet, observational feel, like the artist is trying to capture the boy's gaze. I imagine Rockwell, brush in hand, layering thin glazes of paint to build the textures of the boy's coat and hat. It's like he's trying to capture the weight of the world on those little shoulders, or the halo of childhood innocence as he walks away from a trashed Christmas tree. Look at the way he's holding that chalkboard, almost like a shield! You get the sense that Rockwell is inviting you to feel something. The painting is speaking to you, or maybe even confronting you, about the simple realities of childhood, and the bittersweet feelings that go hand-in-hand with growing up. It makes you wonder what Mark Rothko would have thought of this picture. Rockwell is in conversation with all of us, really, an exchange of feelings and ideas about art, emotion, and the human condition, echoing through time and space.