“Four Seasons Calendar – Grandpa and Me”

SPRING 1948

ROCKWELL HAS PRODUCED MANY CALENDARS, and this one is typical, taking the form of a set of variations on one of his favorite themes—the contrast of age and youth. A grandfather is shown enjoying the alfresco delights of the four seasons along with his grandson and the boy's pet dog. It is impossible to say whether it is the boy or the old man who gets the most out of the idyllic settings Rockwell places them in.

In a century that has not treated old people kindly, Rockwell, from the very beginning of his career, has always depicted them with great respect, showing them as capable of enjoying life as much as anyone else. Rockwell always stands for continuity.

It's easy to imagine that the boys and girls who appeared in his early works are the grandparents of his later paintings, and, while the artist always managed to move with the times, each successive generation is shown enjoying many of the same pleasures as those that went before.