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Lift Up Thine Eyes

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Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), Lift Up Thine Eyes, 1957, oil on board, 28 x 22 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, anonymous gift.
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Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), Lift Up Thine Eyes, 1957, oil on board, 28 x 22 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, anonymous gift.

NORMAN ROCKWELL (1894–1978)

I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed.
Norman Rockwell

Rockwell depicts New Yorkers with hunched shoulders and downcast eyes passing St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street. A male figure posts the message “Lift up thine eyes” by the portal doors—a wry comment on the loss of religious faith in America. The Gothic portals, tympanum arches, and statuary of the church are inspired by European cathedrals. Rockwell studied Monet’s renderings of Rouen Cathedral before painting this work.

Curricular Resources

The MOA has created suggested discussion prompts and assignments for BYU CIV faculty and students to use. Each assignment is based on themes that correspond with GE learning outcomes.

View Curricular Resources Related to This Work:
20th Century Man and Divine