Dear Central New Yorker

We have been to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge on several occasions.  The original  museum was in an old house on the main street in downtown Stockbridge.  The new museum, which opened several years ago, is now out of the village. The building and grounds are beautiful. An impressive set of paintings done by Rockwell in 1943 is called "The Four Freedoms."  Many people have seen copies these paintings in books and magazines but to see them first-hand is worth the trip.

Two in particular, "Freedom of Speech" and "Freedom From Want" are inspiring.  First of all, they are quit large. The "Freedom From Want" picture is of a family sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. It is called a "white on white" painting as Rockwell so ably depicted light coming through a window, with white curtains, onto a white table cloth with white plates, silverware and clear water glasses. The other picture mentioned here, "Freedom of Speech," portrays a humble mechanic expressing his opinion at a town meeting. Rockwell subtly  conveys the idea of freedom to listen as the man in the foreground has a very large ear. There were many illustrators painting magazine covers at the time of Rockwell but none of them could do justice to the people's faces in an image like he could.

Stockbridge is a beautiful place with The Red Lion Inn,  Country Curtains nice shops and restaurants.  Just south of Stockbridge is another pleasant town known as Great Barrington. It has more stately homes and old shops including antique stores.  The trip can all be done in a day.

Jeff