Amaury Sarzier

Taches final

The young girl in the centre of this painting, escorted by US submarines, Ruby Bridges, aged 6, is
very famous because she was one of the only children who passed a test to enter a white school in
the city of New Orleans. She was the first black girl to enter a white school (William Frantz
Elementary School in Louisiana) on 14 November 1960. In the face of white hostility, Ruby had
to be escorted by federal agents and was subjected to insults and projectiles. Only one teacher
agreed to teach with her. For a year, Barbara Henry taught only Ruby Bridges. This painting is a
symbol of the struggle for civil rights in the United States.
In Rockwell's work, he protests against racism by depicting an incident in his image. By showing
the girl being escorted by adult men, we see that she is in a dangerous situation. We see the word
'nigger' and 'KKK' drawn in the background with tomatoes thrown in her direction.
The idea behind this painting is linked to the vision of Norman ROCKWELL. He links the
heritage of the 19th century with the modernity of 20th century magazines. Through the precision
of his paintings and the deep realism of his representations, he helped to announce hyperrealism
(an aesthetic movement whose pictorial realism was similar to photography). All of his works are
micro-historical: each character, caught in the act, seems to be immortalized as he or she
experiences an adventure. This kind of painting is called "narrative". He began by choosing or
following a subject. He would make several sketches of it in pencil. Then he would make a
charcoal drawing on paper of the same dimensions as the final canvas. He transferred this drawing
to the canvas and began painting. From 1930 onwards the painter used photography as a starting
point for his work. In this way he avoided the very long poses required of his models. Rockwell's
work is powerful in making his audience feel empathy for the young girl Ruby.
I think what is exciting is the fact that the painting puts forward a real story, not a fictional one.
He wants to show the world that white people have no heart. We are invited to have our own
opinion, which is always good with this kind of work.

Artist: Norman ROCKWELL

Work: The problem we all live with
Date: 1964