Children Dancing at a Party

Was Norman Rockwell a serious artist, or was he an illustrator? Early in his career other artists derided him as an illustrator, which did not offend him in the least, as he considered himself an illustrator. Unlike a true artist, he had no need for patrons. In his 1960 Triple Self Portrait, we see Normal Rockwell painting himself, with self-portraits by famous painters pinned to his easel, including Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, and Picasso.
[…]