Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978). Can't Wait, 1972. Oil on canvas with applied photo collage . 36 x 29 inches (91.4...

Description

Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978)
Can't Wait, 1972
Oil on canvas with applied photo collage
36 x 29 inches (91.4 x 73.7 cm)
Signed upper left: Norman / Rockwell
Partially and faintly signed again lower right

Property from the BSA Settlement Trust, Sold for the Benefit of Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

EXHIBITED:
Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida, Panama City, Florida, and elsewhere, "In Search of Norman Rockwell's America," 2009-2011;
Bernard Danenberg Galleries, New York, n.d.

LITERATURE:
Boy Scouts of America Calendar, Brown & Bigelow Co., Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1972, n.p., illustrated;
W. Hillcourt, Norman Rockwell's World of Scouting, New York, 1977, p. 139, illustrated;
M. Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, p. 231;
L.N. Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, pp. 292-93, no. A94, illustrated;
J. Csatari, Norman Rockwell's Boy Scouts of America, New York, 2009, cover, pp. 100-101, illustrated.

"Sometimes a good idea walks right in the door . . ." is how Joseph Csatari described the inception of Norman Rockwell's painting Can't Wait, featured on the 1972 Boy Scouts of America Calendar published by Brown & Bigelow (Norman Rockwell's Boy Scouts of America, New York, 2009, p. 101). The boy depicted in Can't Wait is Hank Bergmans, one of Norman Rockwell's favorite models. Csatari, Rockwell's art director at Boy Scouts of America, was visiting the artist's studio shooting various concept images when in walked Bergmans in a boy scouts unform three sizes too big. After exchanging a knowing glance at the sight of the young boy, Csatari turned to the artist and said, "There's your next calendar, Norman" (ibid). The following day, Rockwell called Csatari and asked if they could switch course on the theme originally intended for the 1972 calendar, now dedicating that year's calendar image to feature Bergmans-the uniformed boy who "can't wait" to become a Scout. It became one of Rockwell's most enduring images and one of the Boy Scouts' most successful calendars ever produced.

At left we can see the crumpled blue Cub Scout uniform the boy has shed and traded for his older brother's khaki Boy Scout fatigues. The oversized uniform hangs from the boy's small frame, his baggy pants sit low on his hips, cinched with a belt that barely holds them in place. Long, bulky sleeves fall past his wrists but he raises his right hand in a scout salute, a gesture that honors his future commitment to The Boy Scouts. His uniform is rendered in exquisite detail, a signature element of all Boy Scouts paintings executed by Rockwell, which document the scout's badges with the utmost precision. Bergmans' casts a satisfied expression into the mirror that sits at his left, admiring the image of his future self. The framed photograph on the wall behind him foreshadows the young scout's future. Can't Wait is signature of Rockwell's lifetime body of work. It captures both the innocence of the subject and offers the viewer a humorous glimpse at the tenderness of childhood.


More information about Norman Rockwell. See also: Rockwell, Norman, Rockwell, Norman Perceval Artist.

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