Civilisation anglophone| “The Jury” by Norman Rockwell (1959)
Painting description and short analysis
“The Jury” is a painting by the famous painter Norman Rockwell. It first appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1959. In this painting, Norman Rockwell decided to deal with and tackle the American legal system and judicial system. The painting depicts a woman being pressured by the 11 male members of the jury she is on. The painting was, at the time, a social commentary. Indeed, in 1959, women were still not allowed to be jurors in every state. The most revealing connection between Rockwell’s paintings in popular culture lies in the parallels its shares with the movie “12 Angry Men”. The jury deliberation portrayed in Rockwell’s paintings must have been lengthy - as well as the deliberation in “12 Angry Men”. Cigarette butts can be seen as well as crumpled ballots that litter the floor of the smoke-filled room. However, the woman remains unswayed [not influenced or affected / dubitative, peu convaincue], despite the pressure imposed by her fellow jurors.