Russian Schoolroom
| Russian Schoolroom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Norman Rockwell |
| Year | 1967 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 40 cm × 93 cm (16 in × 37 in) |
| Location | National Museum of American Illustration |
Russian Schoolroom (1967) — also known as The Russian Classroom and Russian Schoolchildren — is an oil on canvas painting created by American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) and commissioned by Look magazine. It depicts Russian schoolchildren in a classroom with a bust of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.
The painting is shown at the National Museum of American Illustration.
Description
Russian Schoolroom depicts a group of seated and attentive Soviet schoolchildren looking towards the viewer’s left, presumably at a teacher outside the visual frame. A bust of V.I. Lenin with strewn flowers is, however, partially visible there. The children wear red Young Communist neckerchiefs and a Russian slogan on the wall behind them exhorts them to “Study and Learn”. One pupil on the right, however, looks away to the viewer’s right, like a typical schoolboy losing focus and finding something more interesting to see outdoors.
Background
Russian Schoolroom was published in the October 3, 1967, edition of Look as part of a series of articles on life in the Soviet Union. Rockwell had visited School No. 29 in Moscow where he drew puppy sketches on a chalkboard.[1] Reference photos of the Moscow classroom with pupils, taken as a model for Rockwell’s final painting, reveal that the inattentive pupil is actually paying close attention to the teacher, with eyes front.[2][3] It has been suggested that in changing this detail, Rockwell slightly subverted the image to make a subtle political point in favor of non-conformity.[2] Additional reference photos show Rockwell himself sitting in that student's seat, apparently demonstrating a distracted look, which the student then emulated.[4][5]
Theft and litigation
The painting was stolen during an exhibit at a small art gallery in Clayton, Missouri, in June 1973.[6] In 1988, it turned up and was sold at an auction in New Orleans for about $70,000. Steven Spielberg bought the painting from Judy Goffman Cutler, a noted art dealer who specialized in American illustrators, in 1989 for $200,000. A member of his staff spotted the painting on an FBI web listing of stolen works of art and the authorities were immediately notified.[7] By 2009, the painting was in the custody of the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.[8] The court decided in 2010 that the painting belonged to Cutler, who has added it to the collection on display at the National Museum of American Illustration.[9]
References
- ^ "LOOK Magazine – October 3, 1967". 2neat.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Ackerman, Mark (March 12, 2011). "Norman Rockwell – Does it Matter if it's Art?". culturevoyage.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012 – via archive.org.
- ^ "Reference photo for Education (38883)". Norman Rockwell Museum. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "Reference photo for Education (38917)". Norman Rockwell Museum. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "Reference photo for Education (38918)". Norman Rockwell Museum. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "Rockwell Work Is Stolen From Clayton Shop". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 26, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved April 7, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Stolen Rockwell found in Spielberg's collection". Associated Press. March 3, 2007 – via Today.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (October 6, 2009). "Steven Spielberg and the Norman Rockwell painting that got away". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Salit, Richard (April 18, 2010). "Judge vindicates Newport art dealer over sale of painting". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on April 22, 2010 – via archive.org.
Further reading
- Garrison, Chad (June 6, 2007). "The Rockwell Files". The Riverfront Times.
Steven Spielberg's stolen painting, a St. Louis art thief, and a plot to kill Martin Luther King. It could make a helluva movie.