Quatro em uma

Foto de M

Quatro estados de alma em que me reconheço, principalmente nos dias que correm...

 

M

 

«Norman Rockwell painted “Waiting on the Shore” in the summer of 1918, on the eve of the Armistice ending the Great War. It is easy to imagine that when this work appeared in the old Life Magazine, it immediately captured the hearts of a nation anxiously waiting for its young men to return from the trenches of Europe.  

Even today, “Waiting on the Shore” is a powerful statement of fidelity and patience that transcends time and speaks to us across many generations. Remarkably, when Norman Rockwell created this work, he was scarcely older than the women depicted on their vigil on the shore. And yet, perhaps his own youth enabled him to perceive just how deeply these young women are affected by the absence of fathers, brothers, or beaux.

Indeed, this is one of the few paintings in Rockwell’s entire career that deals so forthrightly with such a sobering subject. The simple drama of the moment is emphasized in the classic “pyramid” composition formed by the figures of the four women – a symbol of strength and unity, making clear that although each woman’s feelings are distinct, all bear equally the difficult burden of waiting.

One young woman lets her knitting fall and hides her face in quiet, private grief that is all the more affecting for being expressed in this public setting. A second gazes calmly out to sea, the epithome of patience, accepting whatever comes. A third proudly lifts her face toward the unknown world across the ocean, as if to echo the spirited defiance of the young soldier for whom she waits.

But the fourth young woman – the one who confronts us directly – is by far the most memorable. In the depths of her innocent, yet deeply shadowed eyes we see reflected the eternal strenght and dignity of womanwood – traits perhaps uncommon in a woman so young, but clearly inspired by the uncommon times in which they have emerged.

As in perhaps no other painting in his career, Rockwell here uses his gift as a great colorist to bring the figures of the women into a unified harmony with the natural setting around them. Limiting his palette almost exclusively to ranges of cobalto blues, raw umbers, grays and palest ochres, he paints the figures of the women and the surrounding land, sea, and sky in the same tones and hues, as if to suggest that these women’s emoticons, like nature itself, transcend all boundaries.  

Yet, it is characteristic of Rockwell that he does not let the steadfast vigil on the shore go unrewarded. As the menacing clouds recede to the west behind the four women, a speck appears on the horizon: the first of the troop ships, carrying weary doughboys home to the loved ones they left as girls – but who are now strong young women. “Waiting on the Shore” could well be Rockwell’s most intimate expression of the indomitable spirit of women, a finely tuned artistic statement that is echoed throughout  Rockweel’s career -  but perhaps never again in quite so compelling a way. The very existence of this haunting image of feminine tenacity offers a rare insight into Rockwell’s artistic development. I tis likely to alter our perspective of this American master’s work  from this day on.»

 Kathleen Grant

Art Historian 

(Artigo que acompanha o prato, 1981)