Lot Essay
Girl in Spanish Costume, painted in Norman Rockwell's signature descriptive style of finely drawn, clear realism with a wealth of fascinating detail, is among the numerous artistic achievements that established Rockwell as one of the best-known American painters of all time. Rockwell's descriptive painting style and ability to encapsulate the traditional and nearly universal values shared in the American experience contributed to his tremendous popularity and rendered him hugely successful both during his lifetime, and afterwards. Rockwell is remembered today not only for his illustrations in publications like the Saturday Evening Post and Literary Digest, but also for his depictions of the American experience.