One Of America’s Greatest Artists Owes It All To Troy, New York

I don't have to tell you that New York is for artists. For decades, the Empire State has sat at the forefront of modern art, producing some of the most well known visual artists in history.

There's one artist who, in my opinion, stands above the rest in terms of capturing America in his brushstrokes, and he owes so much of that success to Troy, New York.

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Who is Norman Rockwell?

If you don't know the name, you certainly know his work. Rockwell is responsible for creating the image of mid-century America we all know today. His work has been on the covers of some of the largest magazines, and hung in the most prestigious art halls in the world.

He focused on capturing a moment, rather than an idea. It's the small details that make his work. You don't focus on the central subject, rather, the pieces around them. It's what has led to him being regarded as the great American artist, and his connection to Troy solidifies that idea.

Rockwell's Ties to Troy

Rockwell was from Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a little under an hour from Troy. As such, he used the city as a getaway to focus on his art, and used the architecture to inspire his works.

In 1952, he was commissioned by the Ford Motor Company to create a piece for their 50th Anniversary. That piece, titled The Street Was Never the Same Again, showed 296 Fourth Street in Troy with Henry Ford in a 1903 Model-A Ford driving past. The street itself is full of life, showcasing the change from wide open streets to the clusters of cars that had been happening over the half-century. Now, the City of Troy will live forever in one of the most famous works of art in American History.