Product Description

This is a poignant (and humorous) look at baseball, as seen through the eyes of the fans, and players. For over three quarters of a century, master artist Norman Rockwell has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of Americans with his beloved Saturday Evening Post cover illustrations. This Norman Rockwell puzzle, the Bottom of the Sixth, shows the losing manager happily pointing to the sky, knowing this game won't count, as the umpire is contemplating the game's future. The models Rockwell used for this painting, The Brooklyn manager is the former catcher Clyde Sukeforth, the Pittsburgh manager is Billy Meyer, Dixie Walker is at bottom left and the umpires are (left to right) Larry Gaetz, Beans Reardon and Lou Jorda. These superbly crafted jigsaw puzzles encourage the rediscovery and enjoyment of a marvelous piece of American Art History still so relevant for today. This is part of a Saturday Evening Post series of Norman Rockwell prints. "The commonplaces of America are to me the richest subjects in art." - Norman Rockwell. "Norman Rockwell characterized American sports in his earliest work and throughout his career. He caught unique moments in the jubilation of winning or the misery of losing. He portrayed these small moments with his unusual talents, and left a chronicle of sports in his incomparable manner." From Norman Rockwell's American Sportsman, 1990. This puzzle is 1,026 pieces and measures 27" x 20" (69 cm x 51 cm) when assembled,Manufactured by Buffalo Games.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #192434 in Toys & Games
• Brand: BGI

Features

• 1026 pieces total - NOT the smaller 300 piece version
• Completed puzzle measures 27" by 20"
• Made of fine linen paper, soy-based inks and the thickest premium green board
• Buffalo Games Signature 1000 Series

Customer Reviews

Norman Rockwell's famous baseball painting as a puzzle
"Bottom of the Sixth" is my favorite of the baseball paintings that Norman Rockwell did over his celebrated career as the premier American illustrator. This painting, which now hangs in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, was the cover for the April 23, 1949 issue of "The Saturday Evening Post." The situation of this particular painting is that the umpires are getting ready to call the game once the rain that is starting becomes a torrential downpour. The scoreboard in the background tells the story. The visiting team has a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning, but if the inning is not finished it gets tossed out and the game ends with the score what it was at the end of the fifth. This explains why the Brooklyn Dodgers manager, whose happy face appears right behind the assembled umpires in the foreground, is so happy. Meanwhile, the players for the Pittsburgh Pirates are out in the field, trying to get the inning done so that the game will end in their favor. But it does not look like that is going to happen.

In terms of the models Rockwell used for this painting, The Brooklyn manager is the former catcher Clyde Sukeforth, the Pittsburgh manager is Billy Meyer, Dixie Walker is at bottom left and the umpires are (left to right) Larry Gaetz, Beans Reardon and Lou Jorda. The umpires cut such an imposing picture not only because there are three of them gathered together, but because our perspective on them is from pretty much the height of the pitcher's mound. But beyond the grand monument provided by the umpires (you can find the trio of umpires as three-dimensional sculptured figures), you have the comic touch of the opposing managers, the quiet beauty of the baseball field with the giant advertising signs and the players waiting in vain for play to resume, and finally the turbulent storm clouds moving across the sky.

As is the case with most of Rockwell's art, "Bottom of the Sixth" is a quietly complicated work of art and makes a nice 1000-piece puzzle for fans of Rockwell, baseball, and the Saturday Evening Post. You can find this classic Rockwell painting one not only as a puzzle but also as a poster, a figurine, a mug, and a t-shirt, if you are so inclined.