The New York Times has licensed 14 Norman Rockwell paintings to use for ads. Norman Rockwell made good money creating illustrations for companies such as Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s, so using his work in advertising is nothing new. But the Times is also altering the paintings so they fit in with current themes: a U.S. flag for a bunch of flowers, a map of Afghanistan for a blackboard, a Manhattan skyline for a sailboat. Rockwell’s sons approve of the changes and felt they were consistent with what their father would have done. They knew him better than I do, of course. But I feel that it is somehow wrong for the images to be changed after his death. I would not mind as much if he had made the changes himself. One of the joys of Rockwell’s paintings is noticing the details he added. Changing a work of art after the artist is gone feels very wrong to me, especially when the purpose is to sell a product. However, I will agree that the changes are in keeping with the spirit of what Rockwell always tried to do with his patriotic illustrations of American life. (via Media News)