Santa's Surprise(1949) by Norman Rockwell

With the holidays going on full-blast, we at Oil Painting Express thought, why not get into the frenzy and go with a holiday theme. And who could be a more appropriate Christmas artist than Norman Rockwell. While Rockwell is synonymous with innocence and American family life (like Christmas) recent arguments bring forth the idea that there is a darker side to the iconic illustrations (ironically, also like Christmas.)

Rockwell is perhaps best known for his Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. His illustrations are seen as idealizations of the American life. Rockwell was the first to recognize this in interviews, saying that he painted the world as he wanted to see it—not as is was. He also was looking to capture a wide audience by focusing on the working class and the cultures of middle America.

In the Holiday theme, Rockwell painted several depictions of a child's discovery that Santa Clause does not exist, most famously of the limp Santa suit in a parent's drawer. Rockwell is known for the humor in his paintings, and these are of some of the best examples his comedic style. The paintings outwardly capture the innocence of childhood and fantasy, the magic of Christmas-time and the death of that wonder as we inevitably get older.

While this theme seems somewhat rich, some argue that there is a deeper, darkness to the world of Rockwell. Richard Halpern, an English professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of``Norman Rockwell: The Underside of Innocence” sees something a bit different when he studies Rockwell, namely a Freudian slip of sexual innuendo.

Two of the warm, beloved Christmas themed paintings of Rockwell are guilty of such innuendo. The painting ``Santa's Surprise" (1949) once again, seems to be focused on the old Santa-discovery. Yet Halpern asks in his book, if this is truly the discovery at hand, pointing out the Mother's position on her knees and the upright phallic pillow placed strategically below the Father's waist. In another Holiday piece, “Tired Salesgirl on Christmas Eve” (1947) Halpern suggests that the limp ragdoll is a symbol for the woman's sexuality, as it is lain with it's legs spread apart-- fellow dolls looking on.

Whether or not you see the Freudian undertones in his paintings, it is undeniable that Rockwell has become a part of the culture, as ubiquitous and revered as Bing Crosby in December. And whether you hold Christmas as a an innocent time of wonder or humbug them altogether, Oil Painting Express wishes you a happy Holiday!