The Problem We All Live With, Norman Rockwell

THE PROBLEM WE ALL LIVE WITH, Norman Rockwell

        [pic 1]

The Problem We All Live With is an oil-on-canvas that was painted by Norman ROCKWELL, a famous American painter, in 1964. It was published in Look magazine on January 14th, 1964 and is now exposed at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, in the USA.

        It portrays a little black girl named Ruby Bridges. She was one of the first black girl to go to school with white children. We can notice that Ruby is in the middle of the painting. She is wearing a white dress which contrasts with the colour of her skin. She is holding some books and a ruler. We can suppose she is going to school. She looks determined to fight for her rights.

        In the foreground, we can see four men surrounding the little girl. They are US Marshalls and they are escorting Ruby to school. They are wearing grey and beige suits and they have a yellow armband. We can’t see their faces. They are anonymous.

        In the background, on the right, we can see two tomatoes on the sidewalk and some tomato splashes on the wall. We can suppose some protestors threw them on Ruby because they don’t want her to go to school with white children. The colour of the tomatoes symbolize blood.

At the top, in the background, the word “nigger” is written. It is a racial insult against black people. On the left of the wall, the letters KKK were written. It means Ku Klux Klan, a racist organization in the USA.

What is striking about the painting is that it looks very realistic. I like it because it denounces segregation and racism and it is inspired from a true story.