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Spencer Douglass Crockwell
Grand Mother and Grand Son Read Emotional Letter

1950

About the Item

Crockwell is as good as Rockwell. Many would agree with that statement including the editors of the Saturday Evening Post in which both artists were frequent contributors. In fact, they knew one another and had a mutual admiration for each other's work. Crockwell made his signature distinctive so that there would be no confusion with his artistic colleague. In many cases, it was just signed Douglass. His hyper-realist or photorealism- style is slightly tighter than Rockwell. In this very dramatic work, Crockwell captures the intensity and of a peak moment of drama. A boy clutches a letter with two hands as his Grandmother tugs at her dress. In sync, they eyeball the top of the letter with fateful anticipation. It's a brilliant composition rendered in a muted desaturated palette of grays, browns, and subtle magentas. . In one still image, Crockwell conveys a deep and introspective narrative. Without captions, the viewer fully understands what's going on. The composition is tight and to convey the tense moment. There are no open space within the figural group. All visual elements lead the eye to the center of the letter. During the Golden Age of American Illustration, the artists were quite brilliant. Not only were they masterful craftsmen but great visual storytellers. Most likely done for the Saturday Evening Post or a major newsstand magazine like that Signed upper left Douglass Framed
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