If Norman Rockwell were alive today, would he be painting kids playing Super Mario Brothers?
The show “American Nostalgia,” currently running at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, shows new artists reinterpreting Rockwell for the digital — and perhaps a more cynical — age. Here are five works from the show…
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5. Hugh Dunnahoe's Learning Grandpa's Game
I like how the kid has only half of one leg on the chair. He's clearing aching for some Guitar Hero.
4. Steven James Petruccio's You're Out!
Those spoiled sports players today. Always needling over contracts. Though remember that Ty Cobb was a jerk too.
3. Alina Chau's The Law Student
So does the title imply that law students put pictures of inspiring lawyers on their walls? I love the thought that poster sales on the lawn at Harvard Law sell prints of Oliver Wendell Holmes.
2. Aaron Jasinski's Super Mario Brothers
Though the kids are playing video games, there's also a dog, for that warm and fuzzy Rockwell touch.
1. Patrick Ballesteros' Land of Nostalgia
Uh, so maybe Rockwell wouldn't have thought Inspector Gadget and He-Man were worthy of his attention. But it's nice to fantasize.
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